Project Marriage
by Thalia Marie Grace
Summary: There are only twenty-two people in this class, and only two people who haven't been given partners yet for Project Marriage. "No!" I snap, glaring at Luke with everything I have. He smiles sheepishly at me. I'm going to kill him. And then myself. And then dig myself up from my own grave and kill him again. "Last partners: Jace Lightwood and Clary Morgenstern." AU/AH.
1. one

**Author's Note: In case you didn't recheck my last chapter of **_**Of Dungeons and Dragons**_**, I have decided not to write an epilogue for that story. I will, however, be starting a new one—a new AU, AH, modern high-school one. And with a twist. I hope you'll love it.**

**So read on, lovelies! Not only will this be Clace, but there will be Sizzy and Malec. Maybe even a little Jordan and Maia, since my heart pines for them in a way I didn't realise it would after CoHF. And maybe I'll find Jonathan a girl, too...maybe Mary, like my OC from ODaD. **

**And there might be mentions of TID characters in here, but not very much unless I'm feeling bold and letting my characters get OOC. I still have to read the bloody series, but I've never gotten around to it yet...once I buy the damn things...**

**(Oh, and I figured the disclaimers were getting a little old; we **_**all **_**know I don't own TMI.)**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Let me get this straight: the day Jace Lightwood and I become friends is the day Hell freezes over.

Sure, his older brother Alec is very amusing and a nice guy; and sure, his twin sister Isabelle is one of the nicest girls at Alicante High; but that doesn't make Jace any less of a prick. He annoys me more than anyone in my entire life has annoyed me—and that's saying something.

Like in our psychology class—which, unfortunately, is mandatory; and, unfortunately, has only one teacher to teach it. And I couldn't move my schedule around for me to take it a different hour. And it's not _my _fault that Jace decided to wait to take psychology until his senior year, like I did.

In psychology, Jace is annoying to _no _end; he laughs too loud, he's too arrogant for his own good, and being one of the most popular boys in school inflates his already too-big ego. And, naturally, since my flaming red hair makes me stick out, he finds it acceptable to pick on me.

"Morning, Carrot," says Jace cheerfully. He's always the first person inside the classroom—and I always the second. It's like fate _wants _him to tease me mercilessly.

"Piss off." I grumble in reply, setting my backpack on my desk.

He makes a noise from the back of his throat. "Ouch, Morgenstern—I thought this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

"Well, clearly you thought wrong. I don't know _how _you could think, anyway—you're so stupid there's no way in hell that you have a brain."

The words, the insults, come so easily when I'm around Jace Lightwood. It's like my sixth sense of sarcasm and rudeness that awakens whenever he's in my presence and takes over my body until the second he's gone.

"Looks like someone's on her period." he grumbles this low under his breath, but it takes all I have not to snap back—and to resist the urge of wanting to rip his head off.

"Good morning," says Isabelle Lightwood with a smile. The good thing is that Jace's sister Isabelle is always third inside the class—so Jace and I never have a proper go at each other that ends badly. Isabelle's always there to stop it, because she knows Jace and I aren't exactly fond of each other and she really hates it when her brother is rude to people—and since Jace loves his twin sister so much, he always follows her wishes. I've never been close friends with Isabelle Lightwood, but for this reason I respect her.

"It was good until Carrot ruined it for me." Jace's voice is faux with cheerfulness. "I always knew I hated vegetables for a reason."

Isabelle presses her lips together in a tight line and gently inhales and exhales through her nose. It's clear that she's trying very hard not to lose her temper. And there's a strong chance she would have lost it, too, if it weren't for my best friend Simon Lewis.

Speaking of Simon, he's always the _fourth _person to enter the class. And as Isabelle tries to calm herself, he waltzes into the room with his glasses slightly askew on his face, placing his things on his desk. He catches my expression and Jace's, takes in Isabelle's body language, and doesn't say a word. He looks slightly frightened as he slides into his desk. I'm too riled up to laugh.

The other students start piling into the class—Kaelie Whitewillow, Jordan Kyle, Maia Roberts, Aline Penhallow, Helen Blackthorn—and Isabelle's body language relaxes. She takes her seat next to her brother. We act as if nothing happened.

Luke Graymark, our psychology teacher, enters the room after the bell has rung, like usual. Luke is a family friend of mine—he's practically my uncle, because he's so close to my parents. I _call _him Uncle Luke—even in school. He's my favourite teacher.

He flashes the class a smile as he shuts the room door. "Good morning, class."

There's a collective groan of "Good morning, Mr. Graymark" from the students around me. I don't say anything, but I flash Luke a small smile.

"We've got a new project that will take us to the end of the year," he says gleefully. This will be a long project, then—it's only January and we end in June. "The project will start on Monday, so you'll have the weekend to yourselves to prepare.

"The project in question is something very new but something very interesting." Luke continues, his eyes flashing toward me for a brief moment. "I was given inspiration by two friends of mine."

Oh. He's talking about my parents.

"Anyway—we're going to do a little bonding project. And something that hopefully will show _some _of you not to make irresponsible decisions too early." Luke's glare is aimed near some of the couples of students in the class. Some of the other students—me included—laugh lightly at this. "It's called Project Marriage."

"What an _original _title." Jace says sarcastically.

"It's better than anything _you _could come up with, Lightwood," I hiss in his direction.

Luke sighs; he, like normal, pretends as if Jace's and my interruptions didn't just happen. "For the next five or so months, you will be 'married' to a fellow student—you'll be living at each other's houses, going everywhere with each other. Just like a real married couple."

"What's the point of this project?" Isabelle's voice is curious.

"Human interaction." Luke makes his way to behind his desk. "The people I've paired you with are _not _random—you may hate this person, or be involved with them already, or not even know them. It's a test to see how well you get along in the beginning—throughout—and in the end."

He glances warily at me as he pulls out the partner list. "Every day in class until the end of the year, we will be monitoring and recording progress. This project is considered your psychology final for this semester, so do not take this lightly. No switching partners. No exceptions. I have contacted all of your parents already, so they all know what to expect. I will be notified if you are not doing the project correctly."

I resist the groan wanting to escape my mouth. Since he was such great friends with my parents, they would tell him in a heartbeat. I just prayed he'd let me be married to Simon or something. I wouldn't mind that. We slept in the same bed until we were nearly fourteen when we had sleepovers anyway.

"First partners: Jordan Kyle and Maia Roberts."

That was easy; Jordan and Maia are already dating. They have been for nearly two years now.

"Second partners: Aline Penhallow and Helen Blackthorn."

Both Aline and Helen look pleased at this. It wasn't a secret that they were dating, though they tried hard to make it so. Luke flashes them both a smile before continuing on his list.

"Third partners: Tessa Gray and William Herondale."

Now _that _is going to be a difficult situation. Tessa and James Carstairs are in a pretty serious relationship, and Jem and William are best friends. Tessa doesn't necessarily look thrilled at this, but she does give Will a smile.

Jem gets paired with Kaelie Whitewillow. Olivia is paired with Emmett. Emma and Julian. Rebecca and Eric. Christina and Mark. Tyler and Cat.

"Tenth partners: Simon Lewis and Isabelle Lightwood."

_This _is news. Simon sits straight up—I know he likes her, and I try to hide my smirk as Isabelle turns her head to look at him. That's going to be interesting.

But then something clicks.

There are only twenty-two people in this class, and only two people who haven't been given partners yet for Project Marriage.

"_No!" _I snap, glaring at Luke with everything I have.

He smiles sheepishly at me. I'm going to kill him. And then myself. And then dig myself up from my own grave and kill him again. "Last partners: Jace Lightwood and Clary Morgenstern."

* * *

**There's the first chapter...thoughts? Did you hate it or love it? Review, please! It would mean so much to me! X**

**NOTE: I do know that Will Herondale's first name is not William, but it is Gwilyum, which is the Welsh variation. I only made Will's full name William because I was not planning on explaining Will's background in the story. **


	2. two

**Author's Note: I am absolutely pleased that you all like this idea. I really am quite fond of it myself—and the chapters will vary in length. It's going to be ONLY Clary's POV—though after this one ends (or near the end; who knows?) I might be willing to write a companion piece in Jace's POV entirely. And I'm planning on about twenty chapters or so for this one—but who knows; it might be more or less depending on details and events inside then story.**

**I'm glad that some of you enjoyed the Infernal Devices mentions; I sort-of made my best friend spoil the whole series for me so I was able to accurately place them in there... Shout-out to Nicole because I know she reads my stories. **

* * *

**Chapter Two**

I am still too shocked—and quite frankly, too pissed off—to turn and look at my new _husband_—ugh, I can't believe I have to be stuck with _Jace Lightwood _of all people for this damn project—and see his reaction, but I'm figuring that it probably mirrors mine.

"I am _not _marrying _her." _Jace states, and once I finally stop murdering Luke in my head I turn in my seat to look at him. And I had been right—his eyebrows are raised, his mouth wide; his eyes blazing. Overall very pissed off, much like myself at this very moment.

"Technically, you aren't." Luke says cheerfully, which definitely does not help his case. "You're not really getting married."

"But you're implying that I have to _act _as if Carrot is my wife." Jace elaborates slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's not going to happen."

But Luke doesn't argue. Instead, he sighs, setting the partner list down on his desk. "I'm afraid you feel that way, Mr. Lightwood. If you refuse to be her partner, Clary will not have one. She'll fail the class and have to retake her senior year."

No. NO. I am _not _about to allow stupid Jace Lightwood to ruin my senior year. "Like that's any of my concern." the blond idiot snorts under his breath, and I take deep breaths to resist lunging out of my seat and punching his stupid face in.

"But you won't have a partner, either," says Luke, in the same calm voice. "And then _you'll _fail the class and you'll have to retake _your _senior year."

Jace's eyes bug at that and I smirk. Hah. Take that, you stupid, arrogant, shit-eating blond—

"I'm sure Clary's more than willing to be your partner in this project." Luke interrupts, glancing at me with pleading eyes. "Aren't you, Clary?"

I force on a smile. I hope Luke didn't make plans with my parents to watch the football game this weekend, because he is _so _getting it if he did. "Oh, yeah. Totally. Like every other airhead girl in this school, I just _dream _of being Jace Lightwood's wife. And now I can!"

To my surprise, Isabelle Lightwood laughs loudly from behind her hand. With his lips pressed together in a hard line, Jace shoots his sister a glare before letting his hard gaze rest on me. "Fine," he spits, gritting his teeth together. "Fine, I'll do the stupid project."

"Excellent." Luke claps his hands together. "Now, I want all of you to sit by your partners so we can get everything else sorted out."

Before I know it, Golden Boy is sitting next to me, blowing his blond hair out of his face like he's some badass student who's too cool. I suppress my laughter as I look up at Luke, who is no longer amused when he places the papers in front of us.

"Fake marriage licenses," he explains to us. It's only the first page in the packet. "Underneath that is a fake annulment sheet, which you only have to fill out if you wish—and then other papers for me; like where you'll be living and other stuff like that."

"So, Mr. Graymark," I say casually, smiling up at my teacher tightly. I see the fear creep up in Luke's eyes. He's probably remembering the time I bit him when I was four because he was taking my older brother's side in a kid fight. I've been told my bites are very unpleasant. Plus, I don't call him Mr. Graymark unless I'm very unhappy. Like now. "How about that football game on Saturday night, huh? Do you have any plans with friends to watch it?"

"Uh..." Luke blanches.

"I would sure hope not." I add, raising my eyebrows at him. "You never know when something dangerous can happen to you."

Luke would be walking away with his tail between his legs if he had a tail.

"He's not going to give you a detention or anything for talking to him like that?" Jace whistles under his breath.

Huh. Even _Golden Boy's _impressed. "Nah. He's my parents' best friend. He's used to my demonic attitude." I flash a grin Jace, full of malice. "I bit him once."

"Oh, really? What did he do to you?"

Good, he's nervous. "He called me Carrot."

At this, Jace's face drains of colour, and I snicker loudly as I turn to the first page in the packet.

Yes; as much as I hate this project, I could _definitely _have fun with it.

* * *

The minute I get home that day, Luke is already in the living room with my parents.

"God_damn_it!" I snarl, throwing my backpack at the floor. All three adults jump in midair—and I don't even bother to apologise for my language when my mother chides, "_Clarissa!" _in a stern tone.

"You _know _I hate him, Luke! You've heard enough of it when you come over!" I glare at my psychology teacher. "So _why—why him, of all people? _Why _pair _me with _him!?"_

"This is supposed to be your final, Clary," says Luke calmly. How can he be so freaking calm all the time? Does he take drugs or something? "I couldn't make it easy. Name one pair that I put together that will be easy."

"Jordan and Maia." I say immediately, though the words come from my mouth in what sounds like a growl.

"Oh, _please_, Clary. Haven't you heard the gossip? Maia's not even in love with him anymore. That's going to be hell for the two of them."

I blink. "Aline and Helen," I add, though I sound more confused than angry.

Luke stares at me. "That one should be self-explanatory."

I blink a second time. "That's not difficult—that's hell, Luke. You're making these kids suffer! You're _destroying _their relationships!"

"Look—I asked Aline and Helen beforehand if they minded, and both of them were okay with it. And even if I _hadn't _asked beforehand—if one of them had a problem with it, I would have switched them." Luke reassures. "Clary, I know what I'm doing."

"What about Tessa and Will?" I put my hands on my hips. "Tessa and Jem are together; you know that."

My psychology teacher sighs. "I wasn't going to put her and Jem together for this project—that would have been too easy. But, I figured putting her with her boyfriend's best friend would be better than anything else, seeing as she already knows him. Since she's in a relationship with someone else already, that's going to be difficult."

"Jem and Kaelie?"

"They're two complete strangers." Luke shrugs. "That's hard enough, isn't it?"

I have to agree with him. I rack my brain for the other partners; Celine and Stephen are dating, and very happily so. Emma and Julian are as close as Simon and I are. Rebecca and Eric have crushes on each other. Christina and Mark are also complete strangers. Sebastian is hopelessly in love with Catharine.

"Simon and Isabelle." I remember.

The corner of Luke's mouth pulls up in a half-smile. "These walls aren't made out of concrete, you know," he says dryly. "I'm well aware of Simon's crush on Isabelle Lightwood."

"He'll have the time of his life being her pretend-husband for five months. I hope you know that." I say to him.

"That's what I was counting on." Luke replies.

I sigh.

"I'll even do you a bigger favour," he insists. "Simon and Isabelle decided to stay at Isabelle's home for the first half of the project. You and Jace left that blank because you didn't care. You and Jace can stay at Jace's for the first half—so you'll have Simon with you. Does that sound acceptable?"

"I guess." I grumble under my breath, but it's more than acceptable. Having Simon there with me for the first half is more than perfect.

"Great." Luke grins at me. "So are we cool?"

I sigh heavily. "Yeah. Sure. I guess."

Luke's grin widens.

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to still kill you, though," I add under my breath thoughtfully, and I swear he hears me, because Luke's grin falters slightly.

My parents, who have been intently listening this entire time, finally decide to intervene as my anger fades. "So, who's up for pizza?" says my father helpfully. Valentine's always been the peacekeeper in this house; he got used to it during my brother's and my many, _many _fights.

My brother. I miss Jonathan a lot—more than I ever expected to—but he won't be back for another two and a half months—near late March. The good thing about his college is that they let their students out early. I'm anticipating his return eagerly—he's the only person who understands my burning hate for Jace Lightwood.

And he's also the only person who will probably listen to my rant about this stupid project. I check the clock as I make my way upstairs; it's almost three here, which means it's also nearly three at the University of Michigan, where my brother is studying. And it's Friday. He doesn't have any afternoon classes on Fridays...

My phone's in my hand before I can even register what I'm doing. The phone rings twice, and then my brother answers.

"Clary?" he sounds excited. "Hi! How are you?"

"Very, _very _pissed off." I sit down on my bed.

The excitement fades from his voice. "Oh. What happened?"

"Jace Lightwood happened."

"What did he do this time?"

"_He _didn't do anything." I sigh. "Luke did. I have to marry him."

There's silence on the other end, other than Jon's breathing. And then he snarls—"_What?"_

"It's a psychology project!" I wail loudly, falling back on my bed. "We're supposed to be married for five months! I have to live with _Golden Boy _for five months, Jonathan! What am I supposed to do!?"

"Kill yourself." Jonathan suggests cheerily.

I groan. "I'm thinking about it, trust me."

"I miss you." Jon says suddenly. He sighs. "This whole living thing—where are you staying?"

"I'm staying at Jace's for the next two and a half months." I answer him. "And then the next two and a half we're staying at home."

"Oh!" Jonathan sounds excited again. "So you'll be staying at home when I'm there?"

"Yeah." I say. And that soothes me a little more—if I have Simon in the same house for the first half, and then Jon in the house for the second, I should be just fine with this project. "And then you'll finally meet the devil."

"Oh, joy," he says sarcastically, making me laugh.

"Clary!" my mother yells. "Dinner's here!"

My laugh fades.

Jonathan senses it. "Was that Mom?"

"Yeah." I bite my lip.

"Clary!" Jocelyn yells again.

"You have to go," my brother guesses.

"Yup."

"Then I'll let you go." Jonathan sighs. "It was nice talking to you, Clary. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Okay. You have to go. Text me?"

"I will." I smile lightly.

"Good. Don't forget. Love you, little sis."

"Love you too, big bro." I respond with a ghost of a smile on my mouth. Jonathan hangs up, and then I leave my phone on my bed as I exit my bedroom.

* * *

**I'm going to skip the weekend and start right on Monday—where the fun begins. The first day of five months. And this isn't going to be a story where they quickly fall in love with each other. It's going to be a roller coaster ride. So buckle up; it's gonna be a wild one.**

**When I finish this story, would you all like me to write a companion piece in Jace's POV? Let me know in your review, loves. X**


	3. three

**Author's Note: WOW. I am absolutely blown away by the feedback I've been getting on this story. It means a lot to me, you guys! I mean, literally...we have 52 reviews already! WOW!**

**This chapter marks the **_**first day **_**of project marriage! So have some fun reading.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

When I get to psychology class Monday morning, Jace doesn't greet me with his usual nickname in reference to my hair. Instead, he's sitting on my desk, and he hops off when I glare at him.

"Good morning, darling," he drawls as I place my things on my desk. "I hope your weekend was well?"

"What do _you_ want, Lightwood?" I grumble under my breath.

"I'm just making conversation with my wife, that's all." Jace says innocently. "Because if we're uncivil to each other, what's the point of being married? Shouldn't we just get a divorce?"

"I'd like that." I glare at him.

"I'm _very _offended, dear." To my disgust, Jace takes my hands in his and squeezes them. He's enjoying this; I can tell. "We have to at least _try _and save this marriage before giving up on it."

"Don't touch me." I recoil, yanking my hands out of his. "And cut the crap, Lightwood. This project is going to be hell enough with you as my partner."

Jace's mouth is a hard line. _There_. I got him. Satisfied, I sit back in my chair.

"Listen, Carrot—" starts Jace, but he never gets the chance to finish, because Isabelle greets us cheerfully—and to my surprise, she sets her things down on the desk next to me today.

"Hi, Clary." Isabelle's smile is almost blinding. "How are you?"

Um. "I'm good, thanks. And you?" Why is Isabelle speaking to me?

"I'm great; thanks." Isabelle smiles once again. "I have a question for you about Simon."

_Oh. _"Okay." I turn in my seat to face her. "What is it?"

Isabelle suddenly bites her lip; she looks thoroughly embarrassed. From behind me, Jace laughs. "Izzy has a crush on your friend Simon," he tells me through his laughter.

Well, that just makes things easier for Simon—but apparently not for Isabelle. She looks absolutely mortified—her eyes are wide and her cheeks are a dark crimson.

"Is that true, Isabelle?" I bite my lip to hide my smile. Oh, Simon will be _so _pleased...

"Er..." Isabelle hesitates. "Yes?" It comes out more as a question, and I can't hold back my laughter. "It's not _funny!" _she insists, her cheeks even darker. "I'm being serious!"

"Trust me." I wheeze through my laughter. "I don't find this funny."

"Then _why _are you _laughing_?"

"Because Simon likes you too." I compose myself, clearing my throat. "I assume that's what you were going to ask me?"

Isabelle nods sheepishly.

"Well, yeah, he likes you."

Isabelle is about to say something else, but she snaps her mouth shut when Simon walks into the classroom and sits in his desk. "Morning, Clary," he says to me. His eyes widen slightly when he sees Isabelle sitting beside me, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he mutters a, "Good morning, Isabelle," under his breath, his cheeks pink.

Aline and Helen are next to enter the classroom, taking their assigned seats. Tessa, Jem, and Will enter after them, followed by Stephen and Celine, Jordan and Maia, Rebecca and Eric, Emma and Julian, Christina and Mark, Sebastian and Cat, and finally Kaelie.

"Thanks for helping me out, Clary." Isabelle murmurs to me the minute the bell rings. She flashes me a grateful smile. "And I know this project doesn't _really _make us sister-in-laws, but I'm glad Jace was paired with you instead of someone else in this class."

"I'm glad you were paired with Simon," I admit. "That way I'll have someone to talk to during the first half of this project when we stay at Jace's."

"You'll have me, too!" Isabelle's mood immediately brightens. "Do you like shopping?"

I hesitate, but before I can answer, Luke makes his way into the classroom.

"Good _morning!" _says my teacher with too much enthusiasm. That kind of energy should be illegal at this hour. Luke doesn't say anything about Isabelle's random change in seats. "Are you all ready to start this project today?"

The set of groans—from me included—tells him his answer.

"Oh, come _on_, guys! It's going to be fun!" Luke's convincing doesn't help. "And it'll be over before you know it."

"Is he on _drugs?" _Isabelle murmurs to me, and I conceal my laughter with a cough.

Luke eyes me. "Are you all right, Clary?"

"Abso-freaking-lutely." I respond sarcastically with a smile. After what happened on Friday, Luke knows not to push me anymore. He immediately clears his throat and starts informing the students about the project rules.

"I thought you liked this project." I murmur to Isabelle under my breath.

"Oh—I do." Isabelle reassures me. "But I'm just nervous. Five months with Simon? That's nerve-wracking."

"Don't give it a second thought." I tell her. "Simon's the most easygoing boy you could ever meet. He's really sweet, too."

Isabelle bites her lip. "Really?"

"Really." I smile. "It'll be a breeze with Simon."

She exhales. "Good. I'm sorry I can't say the same—my brother's a bit of an ass."

"A bit?"

"Okay...a _lot_. Mostly. More than not."

I can only agree with Isabelle on that one; and then I start counting down the hours until after school, when this stupid project begins.

* * *

Simon and I arrive at the Lightwood house together. Naturally, I make Simon ring the doorbell.

He does. Isabelle answers the door, and she gives us both a wide smile. "Come on in," she tells us, stepping aside.

"Holy—" Simon breaks off, blushing lightly. He's so used to cussing around me that he doesn't remember that it's impolite. "Your house is freaking huge."

Isabelle blushes lightly. "Thanks, I think."

"That's a compliment." I assure her. "Simon's just not good at giving them directly."

Simon hits me in the arm without looking at me.

"Isabelle?" calls a woman's voice. "Are the guests here?"

"Yeah, Mom." Isabelle calls back. "Clary and Simon are here."

"Why didn't you _tell _me right away?" Isabelle's mom complains, and a few minutes later the face to the voice appears in the room. She, like Isabelle, has long black hair and sparkling blue eyes. If you stood Isabelle next to her mother, they could honestly be twins. Isabelle only looks younger. "Hi, dears." Mrs. Lightwood smiles widely at the both of us. "I've got dinner ready in the kitchen. I ordered pizza."

"That sounds great, Mrs. Lightwood," says Simon appreciatively.

"Oh, please; call me Maryse." Mrs. Lightwood all-but orders us. She pronounces her name 'May-ris'. "Or Mom, even."

"_Mom." _Isabelle hisses under her breath. The same mortified expression she had on earlier in psychology is back. "They aren't _really _married to Jace and me, you know."

"It's all part of the project, dear," says Maryse dismissively, waving a hand at her daughter. "Come on. The pizza's getting cold. Let's go."

She leads Simon and me into the kitchen, where there are several boxes of pizza on the counter. A middle-aged man who I assume is Isabelle's father looks up from the table and gives us a smile similar to his daughter's.

"My name is Robert," he tells us, reaching out to shake Simon's hand and then mine. "You can call me that, too, if you'd like."

"What, you're not going to offer they call you Dad?" Isabelle's tone is embarrassed.

Robert blinks. "Would you like me to?"

"_No!"_

Maryse laughs as she hands Simon a plate, and then passes one on to me. "Do either of you have any siblings?" she asks the two of us.

"I have an older brother." I nod. "His name's Jonathan."

"What about you, dear?" Maryse smiles at Simon.

"Older sister." Simon smiles slightly. "Rebecca."

"Like Rebecca in our class?" Isabelle frowns.

"No; my older sister is a junior in college. She lives in New Jersey. She's coming home in a few months."

I've met Rebecca before on numerous occasions; she's a very nice girl. I had to admit that I missed her when she went off to college for her first year. Simon misses her still, and so do I, but just not as much. I miss Jon more.

"So I'll meet her?" Isabelle's eyes light up.

"Er, yeah, you will." Simon bites his lip. I hide my smile as I reach for a slice of pizza. "She'll probably take you shopping the minute she meets you."

"That's no problem for Isabelle." I say with a smile. "That's like heaven."

"You've got that right." Isabelle agrees, reaching for a slice of pizza. "Where are the boys?" she frowns at her mother.

"Jace is in his room; Max is in the library—"

"You have a _library?" _demands Simon. Isabelle smiles at him guiltily.

"—and Alec is out with Magnus. He'll be back any minute now." Maryse continues like Simon never interrupted, but even she looks amused at Simon's astonished expression. To be honest, I would have been _more _surprised if there wasn't a library—this house is so large it could be, like, an Institute for learning or something.

I've never heard of a Max in the Lightwood family, but I _have _heard of Alec. He was my brother's friend when they were in high school together. I've never met him in person, but from what Jon has told me about him, he's a nice guy.

Then, as if reading my mind, Isabelle elaborates. "Max is nine. He's my younger brother. And Alec is nineteen. He's in college—but he stays at home to save a bit of money. Magnus is his boyfriend."

"Izzy!" says her mother sharply.

Isabelle sighs heavily. "Okay—_fine. _Magnus is his best friend. But they're totally in love with each other."

"And so now you're some kind of love expert?" Maryse grumbles.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Girls." Robert sighs heavily, and then looks between them at us. "This happens nearly every day."

"Don't worry." I reassure him. "We know the feeling."

"I'm sure they love each other, deep down." Robert glances at his daughter and wife. "Way, _way _deep down."

"Dad, we have to go to the comic book store again soon, because I've read all of them already and I'm tired of rereading them again and again." a young boy's voice declares, and I assume it must be Max. The boy scrambles into the room, with skinny arms and legs and glasses that seem too big for his face. He reminds me a lot of Simon when he was nine. His hair is brown and curly, and his eyes are a startling grey. They shine brightly when they look at me.

"You're Clary, aren't you?" Max asks brightly. In his hand is an Iron Man comic. "I've heard a lot about you from Jace. I recognise you from your bright hair. He calls you Carrot, right?"

"Er, right," I say.

His eyes light up again. "Jace doesn't stop talking about you. He—"

"Okay, kid. Don't scare her off. That's enough." Jace interrupts. He ruffles Max's hair, snags a slice of pizza, and eyes me. "Carrot."

"Golden Boy." I reply, my tight tone matching his.

"No arguing in my house. We have enough of that already." Isabelle grumbles.

Jace rolls his eyes. "We'll see about that, Iz. Carrot's too annoying for her own good."

"I think you're describing yourself there, Lightwood," I grumble, and then I realise that his parents are still in the room—but Robert and Maryse are only laughing.

"It's not _funny_, you two." Jace complains.

"Of course it is, Jace." Maryse puts her hand over her mouth, stifling her smile. "Your bickering is cute. You two act like an old married couple."

"Maybe that's why Graymark put us together for this project." Jace says sarcastically. He glances at me. "Maybe _you _know why he put us together. After all, you're like his pet, aren't you?"

"I'm going to kick your stupid behind into next _year_, Lightwood." I snap at him. "And _yes_, I do know why he put us together. This project is our final—it's not supposed to be a breeze. If it were, I'd be paired with Simon and perfectly happy."

"Whatever." Jace snaps back at me. He grabs another slice of pizza and storms out of the room.

The minute he's gone, I automatically feel guilty, but everyone in the room is laughing—even Max. "You two are quite a show." Robert muses, flashing a grin at me.

"They can't be in the same room with each other without arguing." Isabelle informs him, making me blush. "So I suggest everyone wears earplugs tonight—they won't sleep if they have to sleep in the same room."

"Shut up, Isabelle." I grumble, embarrassed. Isabelle only throws her arm around me and gives me a hug, laughing still.

I like all of the Lightwoods—minus Jace, of course. Isabelle's energetic and carefree, and Max, though I've only been around him for a few minutes, reminds me so much of my best friend it's not even funny. Robert and Maryse like to joke around, too—I wonder why Jace is so different than all of them.

Oh, well. It's not something I'll probably ever find out, but a girl can hope, can't she?

* * *

**Oh, yes she can, Clary. And you might just find out later...**

**And I've gotten a lot of requests to write that companion piece in Jace's POV, so that will probably be going under construction to be posted after this is over—so keep a look out for that one! X**

**NOTE: in the first chapter of this story, I made Kaelie's last name Underwood. However, after doing a bit of research, I've found out that her last name in the books is Whitewillow, so I've gone back and edited the chapter. From now on (and in the companion piece), she will be addressed as Kaelie Whitewillow. Sorry for the confusion, all.**

**ALSO: If you don't want to wait until tomorrow for chapter four, I've got a one-shot up called _Proposals _that you might fancy! And tonight I'm posting a one-shot called _Surrogate_, so stay tuned for that! X**


	4. four

**Author's Note: I have chapter one of my companion piece finished, in case any of you would like to know that...**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

It's after dinner when I'm finally starting to feel comfortable around the Lightwoods, and it's all thanks to the Max.

"Hey, Clary?" Max turns his wide grey eyes on me as Maryse throws away the empty pizza boxes and puts the plates in the dishwasher. "Do you want to watch a movie with me?"

"Max, honey, I'm sure Clary's got homework—" starts Maryse hesitantly, standing up straight.

But judging by the hopeful look in Max's eyes, I can tell he gets turned down a lot. "Sure, Max," I say, glancing at Maryse. "I finished my homework already. I've got time for a movie."

His eyes light up. "Stay right here!" he orders me, and scrambles off.

"That's very kind of you." Maryse says softly. "But you don't have to please him."

"I don't mind." I tell her, and I'm completely honest about it. With a smile, I add, "I've never had a little sibling before. It'll be nice to sort-of have one for a while."

Maryse's expression softens greatly. "He's always used to being left out." she admits in a whisper. "He and Jace are too different, and Alec is never around. Isabelle's the only one who pays attention to him, but it's barely for an hour a day. He's really lonely around here—that's why we spoil him so much."

"He's a cool kid." I smile a second time. "I have no problem hanging out with him."

She leans over the counter to give me a hug. "Thank you, Clary. It means a lot to us."

"Of course," I say. Before Maryse can say anything else, Max runs back into the room and grabs my hand.

"Come _on!" _he says impatiently, tugging at it. I laugh as he runs with me down the hallway. "We're watching _The Avengers_; I hope you don't mind."

My eyebrows shoot straight up. "Are you allowed to watch that?"

"He's allowed to watch anything he likes, as long as he's happy." Jace says from the couch in the living room, where the television is. "He's asked me to join you two in watching it."

"Okay." I say, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"Don't worry, Morgenstern, I'll hold your hand if the blood and gore gets too gross for you." he adds teasingly.

I roll my eyes at him. "Are you kidding? I love Marvel movies."

That one surprises him, because his eyebrows rise.

"Having one older brother and a dad who works from home will do that to you." I explain, and then my cheeks burn as I realise what I've told him. Why am I telling _Jace Lightwood _about my life? He doesn't need to know any of this!

But Jace only quirks an eyebrow. He doesn't say a word. Max presses play on the DVD player and sits between the two of us, flashing his brother an enthusiastic smile and giving me the same one.

I've seen this movie _loads _of times. It was Jonathan's favourite for a whole year when it first came out; and then when _Iron Man 3_ hit the theatres that was immediately Jon's favourite.

Max cheers like a little kid watching the movie for the first time. He cheers in all the right places. And I can't help but say the words along with the actors—(for example, Nick Fury's oh-so-great line: "Are you planning to step on us?")—when they come on screen. I'm slightly aware of Jace's eyes that might be on me, but I don't care.

"How many times have you _actually _seen this movie, Morgenstern?" Jace asks me over his brother's head.

I shrug. "I lost count after fifty."

He whistles under his breath. "I'd like to meet this Marvel-loving brother of yours."

"Oh, you will." I say. "He's coming home in a couple months."

"Is he as crazy as you are?"

"Ha-ha." I make a face at him. "Jon's not crazy. He's cool."

"_Shh!" _says Max impatiently, his eyes locked on the television screen.

But Jace doesn't listen. "Who's your favourite, Carrot?"

"I'm not sure." I admit. This Jace is nice—where he's not smirking all the time. "It was Iron Man for a really long time and then it was Thor and now it's kind of Captain America."

"Cla_ry_." Max whines. "This is the best _part_."

Jace smiles—he actually _smiles!—_at his younger brother. "Yeah, Clary." he mimics.

"I know where you live." I threaten him under my breath. But it's basically an empty threat. For once in my life, Jace Lightwood is being nice to me. What kind of universe are we in right now?

* * *

Max has fallen asleep on my arm.

The movie isn't even over yet—we're still in the middle of the battle scene—but Max is passed out. Hey, I guess when sleep calls you, it calls you.

Jace checks his phone for the time and curses. "Little sneak," he grumbles. "It's _way _past his bedtime. No wonder he crashed."

"I can take him to his room, if you want." I offer, and then bit down on my tongue. I'm just giving him another reason to tease me.

"It's the second door on the right. You'll see it immediately—it's covered with Avengers stickers." to my surprise, Jace doesn't tease me. I put arm around Max's back and my other one under his knees and lift him up.

"Jeez, does this kid eat anything?" I exclaim under my breath. "He's as light as a feather."

"He's all bones." Jace agrees. "Be careful with him, though—he breaks really easily."

There's a tone of concern in Jace's voice that I've never heard before. His eyes linger over his younger brother before they glance up at me. "Thank you."

"Yeah." I exhale. "No problem, Jace."

I'm halfway out the door when I realise: _What just happened? _

I set Max down in his bed the minute I step inside the room—and man, does this kid have the life. His room is entirely covered in superheroes—his bedding is Thor, his walls are decorated in Captain America stickers...this bedroom would make my brother _drool _if he stepped foot inside of it.

I move to shut off the lights when Max mumbles my name. "Clary?" his voice sounds tired, and when I turn to face him he rubs his eyes.

"Yeah?" I whisper back.

"Thank you." he yawns. "For watching the movie with me."

"Anytime, kiddo." I smile slightly. "Goodnight."

"'Night." Max yawns a second time and rolls over, and instantly he's asleep again.

Laughing lightly to myself, I shut off the lights. He's a cute kid. I close the door behind me and Jace is waiting outside.

"Come on, wife of mine," he says dryly. "It's bedtime."

His attitude is back. Reluctantly, I follow him into his bedroom. The walls are painted a midnight blue colour and his bedding is cream. It's a very simple bedroom—one that I wouldn't expect for a boy like Jace.

"You can sleep in the bed; I'll take the floor." he informs me.

"That's not fair." I insist, putting my hands on my hips. "It's your bed. You should sleep in it."

Jace's smirk reappears. "What kind of husband would I be if I made my darling wife sleep on the floor?"

"A good one, if your wife _wants _to sleep on the floor." I argue. "I'd rather not go to school tomorrow reeking of Jace Lightwood."

"Ouch." Jace puts a hand to his chest in mock-offence. But he sighs. "I'm trying to be a _gentleman _here, Morgenstern, and I can't really do that if you're being stubborn. I have no problem with sleeping on the floor—I've done it more than enough times already."

He adds the last sentence under his breath so softly that I have to listen hard to hear it. I have no idea what he means by that, but before I can even ask, he's got a pillow and blankets laid out on the floor.

"Jace..." I hesitate.

His eyes are a glinting gold in the florescent lightbulbs. "Just take the damn _bed_, Morgenstern. Don't make me tell you twice."

"I'm going to make you." I retort. "I'm not sleeping in that bed and that's final. When we go to my house, I'll sleep in a bed, but for now it's _not fair."_

Jace hesitates. And then he sighs. "Fine. Have it your way."

I blink. "Really?"

"Yes, really." he grumbles. "Is your brain so small that you can't comprehend what I'm saying?"

I scowl at him. "Hey. Only _I'm _allowed to make small brain jokes."

"Whatever." Jace climbs into his bed. "Goodnight, Morgenstern."

I'm the one to shut off the lights. I make my way to my makeshift bed on the floor blindly. "Goodnight, Lightwood." I sigh, and within minutes I'm fast asleep.

When I wake up in the morning, I'm on the bed.

* * *

**Okay, so maybe Jace is softening up to Clary a little bit. What's going to happen? Are they going to become friends soon? (Knowing me and my impatience, they probably will.) Remember, just because they become friends **_**doesn't **_**mean they're dating...we've still got five months minus one day until this project ends...**

**It's really funny to read your reviews, though, because while you're reading a chapter, I'm typing two chapters ahead of it, so seeing all of your reviews about something that does happen just makes me laugh...**

**If you'd like to check out a one-shot I've written, I have _Proposals_, which is strictly Clace. **

**ALSO, I need a name for the Jace-POV companion piece! Let me know your ideas in your review! Can we get to 100 reviews? Xxx**


	5. five

**Author's Note: Hello. I am back with a new chapter, like I am every day. Anyways, how's all of y'all's summers? (was that correct grammar because i don't even know...) Is it hot? It's **_**really **_**hot where I am...I hate hot weather...ugh...**

**_46. REVIEWS. FOR. CHAPTER. FOUR._  
**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Jace isn't in the room when I wake up—but the clock tells me that I have a good hour until we have to leave for school. I yawn and sit up, and when my hand comes back down on the bed, something crinkles under my hand.

I lift it up; it's a note. My name—well, the name _Carrot_—is written in Jace's handwriting along the top of it.

I roll my eyes as I unfold it.

_Carrot,_

_See, you can't win against me. So don't argue about taking the stupid bed again or we're going to have an issue._

_I'm out for a morning jog, but I'll be back at roughly six, so if you're not done in my bathroom by then I'm psychically kicking you out of it. I already put your shampoo and other girly things inside of the bathroom; don't worry about making yourself at home. I've got bleach to disinfect it when you're done anyway._

_Love your husband,_

_Jace Lightwood_

Sometimes, he's so rude it hurts. I crumple up the note in my hands and shove it inside my bag by my feet. I'll get him back by the end of the day, though. Or if not by the end of the day, by the end of the week. He's just _asking _for trouble.

His bathroom is just as simple as his bedroom. The walls are cream instead of midnight blue. The only thing that strikes me as out of place is the shower curtain—and with a laugh, I realise that Max must have put it in here, because it's an Avengers shower curtain. That kid is definitely my ally.

The clock reads five-thirty, so I have about half an hour to shower and get ready before Jace is back. Lucky for me, I don't take hours in the bathroom to prepare myself like some other people (_cough _Golden Boy _cough_), so half an hour should be a breeze.

But just for good measure, I lock the bathroom door.

* * *

I finish my shower in a record-breaking five minutes, and get dressed in another three. But apparently that's not enough, because when I pull the door open, Jace is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"About damn _time_, Carrot." Jace grumbles.

I glance at the clock—and it's only five-forty. "You said you'd be back around six," I accuse, putting my hands on my hips.

"Well, I lied."

"You're insufferable."

"Thanks." he gives me a mock-grin. "That's my middle name, actually."

"Jace Insufferable Lightwood?"

"Yup." he pops the 'p'.

I roll my eyes and push past him. "Bathroom's yours, then, Jace Insufferable Lightwood."

"Thank you, Clary Carrot Morgenstern-Lightwood."

The name makes me blanch, and I hear Jace's annoying laugh as he shuts the bathroom door behind him.

Isabelle and Simon are already in the dining room when I get down there, and there's a new but somewhat familiar face—dark hair, blue eyes.

"Good morning, Clary," greets Isabelle with a warm smile.

"Clary?" the dark-haired, blue-eyed boy frowns. "Morgenstern?"

I realise I must be looking at Alec Lightwood, the oldest of the four siblings. "Yeah. Jon's my older brother." I say, taking my seat at the table.

Alec holds out his hand for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Clary."

"And you, Alec." I smile lightly.

He doesn't speak again until I have a bite of toast in my mouth. "So I hear you're married to my brother."

I choke.

"Al_ec!" _hisses Isabelle, and Simon helpfully claps me on the back. "If you kill her, I'm blaming you."

"What?" Alec's eyes are wide with innocence as I wheeze. "I didn't do anything! I just asked a simple question!"

"It's—for—a—project." I say between breaths. My face feels really hot. Like I'm on fire or something. My face colour probably matches my hair.

"Ah." Alec shrugs. "But—hey, I'm not blaming you. Jace is a freaking nuisance."

"I'm not the only one who hates him?" I frown at Alec.

"Well, I can't exactly _hate _him; he's my brother." Alec smiles sheepishly. "But I hate him in a brotherly way, if that makes sense."

"Yeah." I say. I know the feeling with Jonathan sometimes. "It does."

"Speak of the devil!" says Alec cheerfully, waving at someone behind me. "You missed all the _fun_, Jace! Clary nearly choked to death!"

"That would have been fun to watch." Jace agrees.

My stomach churns. "I think I'm full."

"We've only got five minutes until we have to leave." Simon stands up. "I'll wait with you by the car."

As he and I leave, I hear Isabelle hiss: "_You two are so stupid!"_

"Hey." Simon says softly. "Are you okay? I didn't get a chance to talk to you last night...is he giving you a bunch of trouble?"

"No." I sigh. "Not much. He was being nice to me last night when we watched the movie with Max, but I guess that was an act or something."

"Clary..." Simon bites his lip.

"I just wish we didn't argue so much, because it's honestly making me absolutely infuriated with him. More than usual, anyway." I run my hands through my hair. "What am I supposed to _do, _Simon? Luke made Lightwood and I partners so this project would be hard, but it's nothing but hell!"

"You have to calm down, Clary." Simon puts his hands on my shoulders. "When we get to psychology this morning, go talk to Luke. Maybe he'll be lenient. Maybe he'll pair you with someone from a different class or something. Take deep breaths."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Then you can hang out with me and Izzy." he gives me a crooked smile. "Isabelle's just as strong about this as I am. We're on your side, Clary."

"I don't want to intrude on you two." I frown at him.

"Clary, I'm your _best friend. _You're one of the most important people to me—if not the most important."

"Over Becky _and _your mom? Wow, you must really love me." I joke.

Simon laughs and pulls me in for a hug. "Yeah. I really do love you, Clary."

"Love you too." I say, my voice muffled by his shirt. "Thanks for the pep talk, Simon. But I don't think I'm going to talk to Luke about this."

Simon pulls back, his eyebrows pinching together. "You aren't?"

"Nope." I sigh. "Luke won't cave. I know him too well."

"So what are you going to do?"

I bite down on my lip. The truth is, I'm not sure yet. I could talk to Jace about it, or just ignore it altogether. But everything has its consequences in this situation.

* * *

School passes by with ease. Psychology has become a free period for the rest of the year—and study hall gives me two free periods out of my seven. Lunch is easy, and so is Calculus; there's a sub in English and a sub in Economics. I get through Spanish and AP Biology easy enough—and before I know it, I'm walking out of the building with Simon toward Isabelle's car.

"Took you two long enough." Jace grumbles. Isabelle slaps his arm as we get into the car—me silent, Simon smiling at Isabelle, Isabelle smiling at Simon, and Jace starting the car.

"So there's an ice skating rink that opens on Friday." Isabelle comments from the passenger seat, turning around to look at me and Simon. "And I think we should go."

"Er." I say.

Isabelle frowns at me.

"Clary can't ice skate." Simon explains. "Actually, she can't do anything that involves her feet. Have you _seen _her in P.E.? It's not pretty."

I punch his arm. "I _can _ice skate." I argue. "But...only if I'm gripping the side of the rink. Or somebody. I can't do it by myself."

"We don't have to go." Isabelle reassures me.

"No," I insist. "It'll be fun. I think we should."

"Are you sure?" Simon looks hesitant.

I roll my eyes at him. "I'm not going to be known as the fun-killer, you two. I think ice skating will be fun. Let's do it."

"Finally, Carrot has a fun side." Jace says sarcastically.

I scowl. "Shut it, Golden Boy."

* * *

**Don't you just love Alec? I was nearly crying at his flamboyancy in **_**City of Heavenly Fire. **_**It was honestly the best thing **_**ever**_**. Alec has become my favourite character, I think.**

**Next chapter is the ice skating! And there's a bit more Clace in there...:-)**

**Who's your favourite character and why? Put that in your review! X**

**OH, and I'm currently writing chapter seven of the companion piece as we speak! I'm hoping to write far in that one before I post it; but I can't post it until I have a name - so please add suggestions into your reviews!**


	6. six

**Author's Note: If I'm being honest, this chapter is **_**actually **_**part two of chapter five, but I didn't want to make chapter five really long. Plus, I wanted the ice skating in a different chapter.**

**But, hey, there's a small Clace moment in here! :D**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The rest of the week flies by—two tests, more free periods, even a full-blown cafeteria food-fight started by the football team—, and as Jace drives us home on Friday, Isabelle is bouncing with excitement.

"Did you remember to invite Alec and Magnus, Iz?" Jace asks her.

Isabelle nods enthusiastically. "They're meeting us at home and then we're all going. We're taking my car, though," she adds as an afterthought, "because only my car can hold all six of us.

When we get back, Max greets us with a hello. The elementary schools let out at the same time we do, but the elementary school is closer to the Lightwoods' home than Alicante High. "Clary, can we watch another movie?" he turns on the puppy dog eyes again.

I bite my lip. "I can't today."

"Why not?" his face falls.

"I've got other plans." I glance at Isabelle, whose expression is pained. I can tell she hates letting down her little brother a lot.

Max sighs heavily. "Fine. Whatever. I knew you wouldn't anyway."

"Max—" starts Isabelle.

But her little brother ignores her; his expression is crestfallen as he turns around.

Both Isabelle and I look at Jace pleadingly.

His eyes widen. "Uh, no way. If there's an uneven number, someone always gets left out and it's probably going to be Max—"

"No, it won't." I interrupt him. "I'll hang out with Max."

"I can't ask you to do that." Jace argues.

"For God's _sake_, Jace, just bring Max along." Isabelle hisses at him.

It works, because Jace rolls his eyes at her and calls, "Max, c'mere. Do you want to go ice skating with us?"

The young boy's face lights up like a Christmas tree. "Can I?" his voice is full of excitement. I wonder if he's ever been invited to something by his siblings before.

"Yeah." Isabelle smiles brightly at him.

Max throws his arms around Jace's neck in a hug. "Thank you thank you _thank _you!"

"Don't thank me, kid," grunts Jace. "Thank Izzy and Clary."

So Max does. He pulls both Isabelle and I into a hug at the same time and then runs off to his room to change.

I realise that he's just called me Clary.

"Alec, Magnus!" Isabelle calls. "Are you two ready yet?"

"Yeah!" Alec calls back. He emerges from the hallway with a tall Asian boy by his side, who I can only assume is Magnus. "Clary, Simon, meet Magnus Bane. Magnus, these are my siblings' friends, Clary Morgenstern and Simon Lewis."

"Clary's not my friend." Jace mutters.

He called me Clary again.

"The feeling's mutual, Golden Boy." I hiss back at him, crossing my arms over my chest. Simon sighs and glances at me, but I ignore him.

"It's nice to meet both of you." Magnus interrupts the tension by smiling warmly at us.

"You too," says Simon. I'm still angry at Jace, so all I do is nod at Magnus and smile back.

"Max is coming with us, by the way." Jace adds to Alec. "We're taking Izzy's car instead of yours."

"Oh, _sweet_. I love Isabelle's car." Alec grins. "We'll be waiting by it when you guys are ready."

Isabelle snorts once Magnus and Alec are out of earshot. "They're probably going off to make out."

"Don't let Mom hear you." Jace warns her.

Isabelle rolls her eyes. "Mom doesn't _approve _of Alec's...'lifestyle', she calls it. I think it's stupid. She approves of _Aline and Helen _and they aren't even related to us."

"But if you ask Mom point-blank, she'll tell you that she's happy for Alec." Jace grumbles. "But we all know she's not. It's kind of painful when Alec's in the house because Mom is super annoying about asking him about his love life. I _swear _she asks him if he has a girlfriend at least once a day and then uses the stupid memory excuse saying that she doesn't remember if she's asked him before."

"Wow." I frown. "That's got to be a pain."

"It is." Isabelle sighs. "We love Alec for who he is and so should Mom."

Max joins us then, and we join Alec and Magnus by the car, and they've clearly been doing something other than waiting, but all Alec gets is a suggestive glance from Jace and he's blushing like mad.

I like the Lightwoods. No—I _love _them. I've always admired Isabelle, and Max is cool kid. I've never met Magnus before today, but he already seems nice, and after meeting Alec and hearing about him from Jonathan and Isabelle, he sounds like a great guy and a great older brother. Even Maryse and Robert seem like good parents.

So, once again, as I've asked myself before—why is Jace so different?

* * *

The ice skating rink is crowded.

It's an indoor arena, and there are arcade games and concession stands surrounding the rink, along with picnic tables and other benches. It's warm inside.

"I'll go get skates for all of us." Isabelle suggests. She's off in a minute.

"Will I get to skate?" Max asks me softly.

Jace snorts. "Of course you will, Max. We didn't bring you here just to watch us."

I glare at Jace. "Yes, Max, you'll get to skate."

"Will you skate with me?" Max smiles at me. There's a dimple in his cheek that I hadn't noticed before.

"Of course." I smile back. The minute he turns away from me to speak to Simon, I punch Jace in the arm. "How can you be so rude to him?"

"I'm rude to everybody, Carrot; haven't you noticed?" Jace snorts a second time. But he sounds a little bitter.

How the hell does this idiot belong in the Lightwood family? "Yeah, I have noticed." I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know, I hope that an odd number does mean someone gets left out because it should be _you."_

"Here, Clary," says Isabelle, handing me a pair of skates. Her expression tells me she's just heard what I said and she's trying not to laugh. "Make sure those fit. I think they will, but I'm not sure."

They do. I sit down on the bench to tie them up and then I stand again. "Jeez," complains Simon, gripping my arm for support, "how can people walk in these things?"

"You're not _supposed _to, Simon," I remind him. "There's for skating on ice with."

"Fair enough." he agrees. "But still—you have to walk in them to get onto the rink."

"I love walking in ice skates." Isabelle comments. "It's fun. I don't know why, but it is."

I grin at her. "That's exactly how I feel."

Simon rolls his eyes.

* * *

"Clary, let _go _of the side." Max demands. His bony hands are placed on his bony hips.

"No." my hands tighten on the rink edge.

Max pouts. "Clary! It's no fun to skate with you if all you do is hold onto the side of the rink."

"He's right, you know." Jace says helpfully from where he skates beside us. He's smirking. "Plus, everyone's staring at you. That never helps."

"Shut _up_, Lightwood." I hiss at him.

"Please let go?" Max tugs on my free hand. "For me?"

"Fine." I sigh heavily, which makes his mouth stretch into a wide grin.

"I'll hold onto this hand." he tells me firmly, and then turns to Jace. "Jace, hold her other hand."

"Uh, no way, little bro." Jace makes a face.

"_Jace." _Max is glaring at him. He doesn't look nine—he looks much older. "Come on. She won't skate with me unless two people are holding her hands. Please?"

I don't know what Jace is thinking, but he sighs and takes my right hand, slowly prying it off the rink side. "Let go of it, Carrot." he grumbles. "I'm making a promise to my brother that I intend to keep."

"How gallant of you." I reply sarcastically, but I let him pull my hand off the side of the rink. I try not to think of how tightly I'm gripping his hand and how tightly he's gripping mine.

"Okay, now push with your left foot and you'll glide with your right." Max instructs me. "We'll all do it at the same time, okay? On three. One, two...three!"

I push off with my left, and unintentionally grip Jace and Max's hands tighter. "I hate this."

"You're doing _great_." Max insists. "Push off with your left and you'll glide with your right. One, two...three!"

I push off with my right.

"Great!" Max exclaims, grinning at me. "Okay, I'm gonna let go of your hand now. Jace, you too."

"What?" I cry, my eyes widening. "I'm not ready for this!"

"Sure you are." Max shakes his head. "Push off on your left this time."

I do, and Max and Jace both let go of my hands.

But of course, I am Clary Clumsy Morgenstern—and I slip, my legs falling from under me, my arms failing.

I don't hit the ground.

Someone catches me, and I realise it's Jace when he mutters, "Up you go, Carrot," in my ear, steadying me. His hands stay on my waist until I'm fully upright; the minute he lets go of me I blush deeply.

"Thanks." I mumble to him.

"O-kay," says Max. He smiles at me sheepishly. "I think we're done skating."

"What?" I frown at him. "No way! I'm just getting the hang of it!"

"I think he's right." Jace informs me, and when I face him he's smirking for what seems like the umpteenth time that day. I roll my eyes. "It's getting late, anyway. You spent nearly three hours on the ridge of that rink. Isabelle wants to leave."

"You just want to see me struggle to get off the rink." I grumble at him.

"That I do." Jace beams at me. "We're wasting time arguing, Carrot. Let's go."

Max tugs on my hand, and inch by inch he helps me skate off the rink. Once I remove the ice skates from my feet, I can immediately feel the ache in them.

I turn in my skates and lace up my sneakers. "Thanks for not letting me fall, by the way," I say to Jace. I don't look up at him.

I can hear the smirk in Jace's voice when he responds. "You're welcome, Carrot."

* * *

**So, what did you think? Are Jace and Clary going to start becoming friends soon? Let me know in your review! Xxx**

**(Can we try to get to 200 reviews? Let's do it!)**


	7. seven

**Author's Note: Hey! How are you all?**

**You guys might hate me and love me for this chapter. I don't know. But _jeez _guys, 198 reviews in 6 chapters? That's freaking insane! I love you guys so much.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

A week has passed since we went ice skating, and apparently that week has done _wonders _on Isabelle and Simon.

Jace is out on his morning jog again (like he's been doing every morning) when I wake up, but this time Isabelle is inside the room already, laying out clothes of hers for me.

"Uh, Isabelle?" I blink groggily. Is she an illusion? "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you get dressed, silly." Isabelle giggles at me.

I stare at her like she's crazy. "What _happened _to you? You're acting like you're on drugs."

"Simon and I kissed last night." she beams at me. "He really likes me, Clary!"

"Um...duh." I say, sitting up. "I told you he did. You didn't believe me?"

"I believed you, but you know girls and their doubts." Isabelle waves a hand passively. "Like you and your feelings for my brother."

"You have three brothers, Isabelle. Which brother are you talking about?"

"I mean your feelings for Jace. _Duh."_

I blanch. "My _what?"_

She grins at me. "I told you! You totally have feelings for my brother—don't deny it. You two are meant to be."

"What are you, Aphrodite?" I stare at her. She's definitely on drugs. "I don't like your brother. I hate him, actually."

"This and that," she says with another wave of her hand. "It's obvious you like him. Maybe not to you, and _definitely _not to Jace, but you totally do."

"You're on drugs, Izzy." I hop out of Jace's bed. My hair is still damp from my shower last night. "And I am _not _wearing your clothes."

"You need some. Mom didn't do laundry last night." Isabelle sighs heavily. "And _relax, _Clary. I'm not giving you a makeover or anything. We're the same size, anyway—all I have for you is a pair of leggings and a shirt. Calm down."

"I am perfectly calm." I insist hotly, placing my hands on my hips.

Isabelle shoots me a glance. She's already fully dressed and ready. "Just put the damn clothes on and meet me for breakfast, okay?"

"Okay, okay." I sigh. Once Isabelle's got her mind made up, you can't change it. I grab the shirt. "So are you and Simon a thing now?"

"I don't know," she admits. And then she's gone.

I take the clothes and bring them into the bathroom, where I quickly change and blow-dry the rest of my hair. A sharp rap on the door lets me know that Jace has returned from his jog—so I quickly wrap up what I am doing and step out of the bathroom.

"Morning, Frizzy Carrot," says Jace cheerfully.

I roll my eyes at him. "My hair isn't that frizzy."

"It is compared to mine."

"Douche."

"Squirt."

"I hope you choke on your breakfast this morning."

"Ha-ha." Jace says sarcastically. "I already ate, so the joke's on you, Carrot."

How can Isabelle even _think _I like her brother? Every part of his body is arrogant. And cocky. Well—er—okay. Pretend I didn't say that. That was weird. And gross. And totally perverted.

It's not that he's _ugly_. Jace is one of the cutest boys at our school. But I think Simon is cute, too, and that doesn't automatically mean I have a crush on him. I never had a crush on Simon.

I lace up my sneakers and grab my backpack and head to the dining room. Just like she promised, Isabelle is waiting downstairs at the breakfast table for me. Simon is, too, and his face is as red as a tomato. I raise my eyebrows suggestively at the two of them; Isabelle blushes darkly and Simon's face grows even redder.

"Good morning." I sing, taking my seat at the table. Alec is already at the table, too, and he's clearly taking enjoyment in Simon and Isabelle's embarrassment.

"Sleep well?" he asks them. "Or should I ask if you enjoyed your night?"

"Alec!" Isabelle complains. I laugh loudly. "You are such a douche!"

"Who's a douche?" Jace inquires from behind us.

"Alec is," says Alec. He grins. "Isabelle and Simon are apparently a thing now."

"And apparently you talking about yourself in third person is a thing now, too." Jace comments, taking his seat, though he doesn't eat. I guess he was telling the truth about eating before his jog. "What's up with that?"

"I don't know. I just did it."

"So have you planned anything for us to do tonight? Seeing as it's Friday?" Jace looks across the table at Isabelle.

I decide to add to the teasing. "She's got something planned, all right. Just not for us." my suggestive grin is aimed at Isabelle and Simon.

Alec bursts out laughing—and so does Jace. Isabelle's face goes back to that dark red colour and Simon kicks me underneath the table.

"Let's just get to school." Isabelle grumbles. When she leaves, so does Simon, and she takes his hand before they leave the room.

"That was absolutely _golden, _Clary." Alec wheezes between breaths, giving me a high-five.

"I think we should get out to the garage before Isabelle leaves without us, don't you, Clary?" Jace is pocketing his phone.

Jace called me Clary again. And he didn't tease me. Almost like we were _actually _friends. I get out of my seat and grab my backpack. Isabelle has not left without us, I discover when we get to the garage, but it looks like she was nearly about to. I hop in the backseat and so does Jace.

"You know, Clary," says Isabelle in a sweet voice, smiling at me through the rear-view mirror, "just wait until I can tease you and Jace about this stuff."

"Me and Carrot?" Jace speaks before I can. If he had a glass of water, he would have done a spit-take. "Izzy, you must be on drugs."

"That's what I said." I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What? You two have a _lot _in common." Isabelle insists. "For example, you both think I'm on drugs."

"That's because you _are_." I insist. But Jace said the same thing I did at the same time.

Isabelle's smile is smug. "Just you two wait."

"There's no way in hell I'll ever like Carrot." Jace mumbles, looking out the window.

"The feeling's mutual," I snap at him. But something churns in my stomach—something that I don't like. Could Isabelle be right? Could I really like Jace?

No. There's no way that's possible. He's more arrogant than anyone I've ever known. The day I like Jace Lightwood will be the day Hell freezes over.

So why do I feel hurt at his words?

* * *

Psychology is no fun. It's yet another free hour, in which Isabelle and Simon spend wrapped up in their own little world. Jace doesn't speak to me, as usual, so instead I pull out my sketchbook that I haven't touched in so long.

Now that I think about it, the last time I drew something was before this project started. No matter where I go, I always carry around my sketchbook. But I guess being at the Lightwoods' and being caught up with Max and this project, I never had time.

"Jocelyn, no."

On instinct of hearing my mother's name, I look up. Luke's on the phone—his cell phone. Is he talking to my mother? "It's not a good idea to tell them right now. I would wait." he advises. I watch as he bites down on his lip. "A couple months."

My mother must be angry, because I can hear her voice through the phone—just not what she's saying. Luke exhales. "Okay, but you did say you would wait until Jonathan came home. You can't tell them now. Jocelyn! _No. _That's too early."

He glances around the room, and his eyes rest on mine. They bug slightly. "Jocelyn, I have to go." A pause. "Yeah. She is."

'She is'? As in, she's listening? Are they talking about me? "You too. Okay. Bye."

He hangs up and gets out of his seat. I duck my head down and start to sketch something—anything—with my pencil.

"Clary?"

Damn. I look up. "Hi, Luke."

"Hey." he half-smiles. "How are you?"

"I didn't hear anything I shouldn't have, if that's what you're getting to." I blurt out, and then I bite down on my lip. I don't know what they were talking about. Wait for what?

Luke laughs. "I wasn't actually. You just looked lonely. How are things going with you and Jace?"

I sigh. "They're not."

He frowns.

"He freaking hates me, just like he always has." I sigh a second time, chewing on my lower lip. "And I'm supposed to hate him, just like _I _always have."

"Supposed to?" Luke's eyebrow quirks up. "As in you don't?"

It takes me a minute to answer. Do I hate him still? "I don't know."

"I told you I had a reason for putting you and Jace together in this project, Clary." Luke reminds me.

"And what is that reason?" I question.

He grins, and it's wolfish. "I think you're beginning to figure that out."

* * *

**Is Clary starting to actually **_**like **_**Jace? If so, it's about damn time! It's already chapter seven! Jeez! And if not...what is Luke's reason? And what was he talking to Jocelyn over the phone about? Leave your theories in your reviews, lovelies! Xxx**

**And can we get to 240 reviews, maybe?**


	8. eight

**Author's Note: Hi! Here we are with chapter eight! Oh! And we reached our goal :-) And Happy Father's Day!**

**You'll like this chapter. :-)**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

I don't walk with Simon to Isabelle's car that Thursday afternoon. He's already with Isabelle, and so I didn't want to intrude on their couple time.

"Hi, Carrot."

I turn around. Jace speeds up to catch me, and slowly I begin walking. He stays at my side. "Um, hi, Jace." I bite my lip.

"I wanted to apologise." he blurts out.

I frown.

"For in the car this morning." Jace wrings his hands together. Is he _nervous? _"I was being rude. I didn't...well, I wasn't...I wasn't _trying _to be rude. I'm...well, I'm kind of trying to work on that, actually."

"You are?" I gape at him, stopping in my tracks, and then quickly realise I'm being rude myself, so I blush lightly. "Er, I mean...it's okay. Really. And I...I didn't mean it either. I just said the feeling's mutual because..."

"It was the heat of the moment." he supplies helpfully, and the corner of his mouth quirks up. "I get it."

"Yeah." I say softly. We keep walking. "So, um...if you don't mind me asking, what changed your mind? About trying not to be rude, I mean."

"Oh." Jace bites his lip gently. "Um, it's just something I want to try and do. I realise I've been rude to everyone lately and I don't think it's fair."

Something inside me feels disappointed. "Oh," I say. Then I smile slightly. "Well, I, uh, think it's nice."

"And I'd like to try and be civil with you." Jace adds thoughtfully. "If that's okay with you. I think...I think we should try and stop fighting. And try to be friends."

Why not? The fighting is getting too much for me anyways. Being friends—or at least being civil—is worth a shot. "Okay." I agree. "That sounds good."

"Good." he half-smiles at me. "Thanks, Ca—er, Clary."

"You're welcome." I'm blushing lightly. "But, uh, we should probably get to the car before Isabelle and Simon quarantine it."

Jace laughs. "Yeah. Yeah, we should. Come on."

I end up following him to the car. Isabelle and Simon are waiting for us, holding hands but not kissing. Isabelle gives me a look—am I still blushing?—as she gets in the back with Simon.

"O-kay." I say slowly. "Guess I'm sitting in the passenger seat."

"Fine by me." Jace says with a shrug.

Isabelle gives me another look, and this time she's grinning. I roll my eyes at her, but something inside me wants to grin right back at her. Maybe Isabelle really is right. Maybe I really do like Jace.

"So since Izzy and Simon are probably doing their own thing tomorrow night," says Jace to me casually as he drives, "why don't you and I do something with Alec and Magnus? We could bring Max along, if you want."

"Max has a sleepover with Dru, Livvy, and Ty Blackthorn." Isabelle supplies helpfully from the backseat.

"So you, me, Magnus, and Alec," Jace corrects, smiling slightly.

"Alright." I agree. "I've got nothing better to do. Other than homework, most likely."

"Of course you find the homework better than us." he snorts. "It's because you're a nerd."

I blink. Old Jace is right back at it. I open my mouth to retort, but Jace quickly speaks again.

"Oh. Er, um, that was sarcasm." he reassures me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude."

Isabelle giggles from the backseat, but I don't know if it's from me and Jace or herself and Simon. "That's—that's okay." I say, biting my lip. "We're both a little rusty at being nice to each other."

"A little?" Jace chuckles softly. "Try extremely."

"Yeah." I agree softly. "Extremely rusty."

His smile is nice. When it's gone, I suddenly have an itching feeling just to say something that will make him smile again. I've never noticed it before, but it's kind of lopsided, and absolutely genuine.

Then I realise I've never seen it before, because there has never been a moment that Jace Lightwood and I have been friends.

Maybe Hell really has frozen over.

"I think Hell's frozen over." Jace says to me suddenly, like he's reading my thoughts.

"Oh?" I try not to sound surprised. "Why is that?"

"Because we're being friendly to each other," he answers simply, and then I laugh.

I find being around Jace a lot easier now; I can joke around with him as easily as I could insult him. And it feels really nice.

Jace pulls into the garage and we all get out, but before I can follow them into the house, Isabelle grabs my arm.

"What is going _on _with you two?" she demands, grinning widely. "You aren't insulting each other! You're...you're being _nice _to each other!"

"I don't know." I admit. "Jace came up next to me in the parking lot at school and said that he thought we should try and stop fighting."

Isabelle whistles low under her breath. "I don't know _what _happened to my brother during the day, but I guess it was good."

"Yeah." I agree. "I guess it was."

* * *

I dial a number and press the phone to my ear. It rings three times, and as soon as I know she's picked up, I say, "Mom?"

My mother exhales. "_Clary! _How are you, dear? I was about to call you, actually. It's been a couple weeks since I've heard from you!"

"I know." I say sheepishly. "I've just been busy."

"Well? How are you? How's the project? How's Simon?"

"Whoa, Mom!" I laugh lightly. "Calm down. One question at a time."

Jocelyn exhales. "Yes. You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're excited, I get it," I say. I close my novel and set it on the nightstand next to Jace's bed. One of these days I'm going to have to convince him to switch sleeping spots with me. It's not fair that he's always on the floor.

"So?" she sounds thrilled. "How are you?"

"I'm great. Really great."

"Really?" she laughs. "How can you be really great if you're with Jace Lightwood?"

"I don't know. Things are just going...really great around here." I say softly. "Jace and I...we're somewhat friendly now."

"What changed your minds?"

"I'm not sure." my eyebrows furrow. What _did _change our minds? "But I like it. He and I being friends, I mean."

"So I guess that answers the 'how's the project' question." my mother says dryly, and I laugh loudly.

"I guess it does." I agree.

"What about Simon? His partner is Isabelle, right?"

"They're together."

"_Together?"_

"Yeah. Like, totally a couple together."

"Wow. You'll have to tease him twice as hard for me, okay?" Jocelyn laughs.

Her laughter dies down abruptly as I hear a grandfather clock chime in the background. "Mom?" I frown. "Where are you?"

"I'm at home, dear," she answers without a pause. Almost _too _quickly...

"We don't have a grandfather clock." I realise. "We don't even have a _clock_—Mom! Where are you right now?"

She doesn't answer me.

"Mom." I stand up. "If you don't tell me, I'm driving home and asking Dad what is going _on."_

This gets her talking, because she takes a deep breath. "It's not...it's not best to tell you now. I was going to wait until Jonathan got home..."

"It's too late for that now." I wince at the hard tone in my voice. "Is this about what Luke was talking to you about on the phone during psychology this morning?"

"So you _were _listening." she says sternly. "Luke told me you weren't."

"Tell me now!" I snap.

My mother takes a deep breath. I feel my heart speed up. "Fine. Honey, I...you have to promise not to get mad."

I speak through gritted teeth. "It depends."

"Honey...your father and I are getting a divorce."

Whatever I had expected her to say, it wasn't that. My eyes widen and I nearly drop the phone, but something keeps it against my ear. I find that my hand is shaking. "Wh-what?"

"We were going to tell you when Jonathan got home...we're in the process of getting the paperwork...but we've decided to get a divorce." Jocelyn exhales.

"And why were you talking to _Luke _about this?" I whisper. My voice trembles on the name of my psychology teacher.

"Because..." Jocelyn hesitates.

It clicks into place. "Because you're having an affair."

Her silence confirms it.

"With my _psychology _teacher." I spit the words out.

"Clary, he was our _best friend _throughout high school. He was our friend before he was your teacher." Jocelyn chides.

"Looks like he's not _you and Dad's _best friend anymore." I laugh bitterly. "More like he's the reason my family is torn apart."

"Clary!" my mother says, shocked. "Let's talk about this—"

"There's nothing to talk about." I snap through the phone. "I have to go. Bye."

I hang up, and I'm dialling another number before I can even think. It's my brother's. He has to know, I have to tell him, I need him..."Hello? Clary? Is that you?" Jonathan answers after the first ring.

"Hi." I bite my lip.

"You sound upset." Jonathan says softly. "Are you okay? Is it Lightwood? I'll beat someone up if you need me to."

"MomandDadaregettingadivorce." I blurt out.

"What? Clary, you talk to fast when you're nervous. What's going on?"

I take a deep breath, and my voice trembles when I speak again. "Mom and Dad are getting a divorce."

He doesn't answer, so I go on. "She just told me. She's having an affair with _Luke_, and I guess Dad found out or they told him so now Mom and Dad are getting a divorce, and they're getting the paperwork now and they probably will still be in the process of getting divorced when you and I both come home—"

"When you come home." Jonathan's voice is sharp.

I blink. "Jon, you're coming home in March, remember?"

"Not anymore I'm not."

"Jon—"

"I'm going to kick his ass." Jonathan snarls. "Clary, I'm sorry. I love you. But there's no way I'm coming home while _our parents _are in the middle of getting a divorce. I can stay here in the flat with the guys a little longer. But you can't expect me to come home to an extremely unhappy environment—especially when I could run into the guy who destroyed our family at the freaking _supermarket._

"I have to go." Jonathan says suddenly, and his tone softens. "I'm so sorry, Clary. But I can't do it."

And then he hangs up.

* * *

**Here starts the drama that will ensue until the end of the story...and some of you guessed about Jocelyn and Valentine's divorce! Good job! Cookies for you, ahhh!**

**Well loves, I'm so happy that you all love this story. Can we possibly try and get to 290 reviews? Can we make that happen, guys? Pretty please?**

**I will see you lot tomorrow for another update! Chapter nine is a good one, and so is chapter ten, so keep reading and reviewing!**


	9. nine

**Author's Note: Hello! I just wanted to say that not only did we reach our goal of _290 _reviews, but we also broke the 300 milestone and now have a total of _304 _reviews! And just for chapter eight alone, we got _60 _reviews! Guys! That's freaking amazing!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

In the morning, I am on the bed, but I don't remember falling asleep in the bed last night.

I'm on my side, and I see another note folded up on the mattress. But today, it doesn't say _Carrot _on the outside; it says _Clary._

I open it up.

_Clary,_

_I regret to inform you that your many attempts to sleep on the floor are not working. So stop trying. You may fall asleep on the floor, but you will always wake up in the bed so long as you live in my house._

_I also hope that you're okay. You had tears dried on your cheeks last night. You don't have to tell me, because it's none of my business, but if you'd like to talk I'm willing to listen._

_I didn't jog this morning, but I went downstairs early. I'll see you for breakfast._

_Jace_

The first thing I think of is that he actually noticed something was wrong and that he cared. And he didn't sound like a douche in this note.

But the second thing I think of is my family and Luke, and how everything is falling apart. Tears well up in my eyes suddenly and my throat begins to feel like I'm swallowing a lump of clay. I set the note on the nightstand and check my phone—where there are a few missed calls from my mother, one from my father, and even one from Luke.

I grit my teeth as I enter Jace's bathroom and turn on the shower. Luke. My psychology teacher. I'll have to see him first hour—and he'll probably try to talk to me. He won't get that close.

The thing is, I'm eighteen. I shouldn't be this upset about my parents getting a divorce. I'm legally allowed to leave the house if I wanted! But I remember seeing what happened to Simon after his father died—and I remember the promise that my mother made: that our family would always be together. And now they were breaking that promise. And that promise meant a lot to me—even if they were grandparents and getting a divorce, I would be upset.

I shower and dress quickly, and then grab my backpack. As I make my way into the dining room, my mother calls my phone again. I ignore it without a second thought.

"Clary?" Simon frowns at me. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." I lie. "Everything's fine. Why?"

"You just looked upset."

I give him a fake smile. "I'm not." I say, taking my seat. "Don't worry."

"Okay." Simon sighs, taking another bite of the toast on his place. My stomach is churning so much that I can't even think of eating, but I pour myself a glass of orange juice just to try and soothe my stomach.

A phone buzzes, but when I look, I discover that it's not mine.

"Huh." Simon says with a frown. "That's weird, Clary; your mother is calling me."

My eyes widen. "No!" I say, but it's too late, he's already holding the phone to his ear. Jace shoots me a curious glance from across the table.

"Hey, Mrs. M." Simon says cheerfully. _Not Mrs. M anymore_, I think bitterly. "What? Yeah, she's right here." he frowns. "Is everything okay?"

My mother speaks on the other end, but I'm still mortified. It was _just like her _to call Simon about this. I should have told him last night so he would have known not to accept that call.

Simon glances at me and his eyes widen. "Oh. I see. Well, yeah, Clary is absolutely fine. She's in one piece. Okay, Mrs. M. Alright. I'll tell her. Bye."

He hangs up and declares to me, "Your mother says she's sorry."

"I don't care." I grumble.

"She must have done something pretty bad if you aren't forgiving her." Simon presses. "What happened?"

I glance at Jace and Isabelle and then sigh. I don't care if they know. They'll find out during psychology when I'm screaming at Luke anyways. "My parents are getting a divorce because my mother cheated on my father with Luke, and Jonathan's not coming home until the summer."

Simon says, "Clary..."

"Luke as in our psychology teacher?" Jace glances at me, and I'm afraid that I'll snap at him, so I just nod. "Oh."

"You were really looking forward to Jonathan coming home early, too." Simon exhales. He reaches toward me and squeezes my hand in a brotherly way. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." I stare at my hands. "And I shouldn't even be this upset about it, but..."

When my voice fails, Simon finishes the sentence for me. "The promise." he says. It's not a question. He knows what it is. I nod, biting my lip. "I understand, Clary."

"What promise?" Jace inquires gently.

I still don't speak, so Simon does instead. "When my father died, Clary cried just as hard as I did." he explains. "Jocelyn and Valentine promised Clary and Jonathan that their family would always be together."

"And now they're breaking their stupid promise." I grumble.

"We're going to be late for school." Isabelle realises gently. I look up at her. "I'm sorry for interrupting and sounding inconsiderate, but we really are."

"I don't care." I insist. "If I go to psychology, I'll probably murder Luke."

Jace smiles slightly. "Come on, Clary."

Simon lets go of my hand and I grab my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder. My best friend shoots me another glance before taking Isabelle's hand as they walk to the garage.

"Will you sit next to me in psychology?" I mumble to Jace. "I need someone to hold me back so I don't lunge at Luke."

"Sure." Jace decides. "I will."

"I got your note." I add. "And thanks for being willing to listen."

"I still am, you know." one half of his mouth quirks up in a dry smile. "For better and for worse, remember?"

I punch his arm in reply, and Jace's laugh is the thing I focus on as we get into the car and drive to school.

* * *

Jace, as promised, takes his seat next to me in psychology. I hate that Luke put me in the front at the beginning of the year. I mean, I used to love it, but now...not so much.

"Easy, Clary," mutters Jace, his mouth somewhere near my ear. "Your face is reddening."

"Distract me so I don't blow up, then, please." I say through gritted teeth.

He bites his lip. "How about we stay at my house for the whole project?"

"Huh?" I blink, turning in my chair to face him.

Jace shrugs. "My parents wouldn't mind it, and that way you don't have to go home to...whatever home is. Plus, Max would love having you around longer."

"Sure." I say. I smile. "That sounds good."

"Great." he smiles back at me.

The bell rings a second later, and Jace's smile fades into a wary look. From the way he takes a deep breath and his hands twitch toward me in case I really need restraining, I can tell that Luke has entered the room.

But my teacher says nothing. All he does is say, "Free period," under his breath and take a seat at his desk.

I frown, and so does Jace.

I should have known that wasn't all. A minute later, Luke rises from his seat, and walks to my desk. He stops there. "Can we talk?" he asks me.

Jace's hand moves closer to me.

"Only if Jace comes." I say, leaning back in my chair.

Luke winces at my tone, but he manages to give me a grin. "I told you I had a reason for putting you two together—"

"I am so close to killing you with my bare hands." I interrupt him, and Luke's smile fades. "So either Jace comes with us or I'm not talking to you."

Luke glances at Jace. "Fine," he says. "Out in the hallway, then."

Simon catches my eye as Jace and I follow Luke out of the room. Luke lets Jace and I leave first, and then he shuts the door to the classroom, and we're alone with Luke in the hallway.

* * *

**I am saving the confrontation for chapter ten—and I just wanted to thank all of you again for the amount of reviews! I really hope you like this chapter...the next few ones are good ones! I'll update again tomorrow morning. **

**But as for right now, I'm a little curious. If you aren't comfortable with this, then that's fine, but in your review, would you put your _first name? _I was speaking to a reviewer and her name was really pretty and I'm curious! My name's Kaitlyn; what's yours?  
**


	10. ten

**Author's Note: I personally like this chapter very much. Jace and Clary get into some shenanigans... Read on and enjoy! And holy fudge nuggets, we just got 85 reviews for chapter nine.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"How long has this been going on?" I demand immediately. I don't waste a beat. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. "You and Mom?"

Luke sighs heavily. He hesitates before answering me. He looks me in the eye when he says, "Nearly a year."

_A year. _For a whole year, my mother has been sneaking around with her best friend behind her husband's back. For a whole _year_, my family has been torn apart.

"Why?" my hands are shaking. "Did you start it? Did she?"

"It was after that extremely large fight your parents had." Luke tells me softly. His eyes flash to Jace, like he doesn't want to talk about it in front of him, but he does anyway. "Your mother showed up on my doorstep in tears. She spent the night on the couch, and asked me if she could stay another night."

I remember the fight all too well, though I can't remember what it was about; my mother was gone for a week. That whole time, she was at Luke's. She'd told me she had gone to a motel. But no—she lied.

"The third night she was with me, she told me what happened. I don't remember how, but we just..." Luke clears his throat. "You don't need the details. But that's when it happened."

"Why didn't she get a divorce with my father after that fight, then?" this time, my voice trembles.

"The promise." Luke says softly.

Of course. The stupid promise tore our family apart more than the divorce. "I have one last thing to say." I cross my arms over my chest. "Jace and I are not staying at my house for the last half of the project."

But Luke doesn't argue. He just gives me a tight nod and opens the classroom door, holding it open for me and Jace to walk through.

"You didn't freak out." Jace murmurs to me. "Good job."

"Hey, Jace?" I murmur back. "Have you ever ditched class?"

He blinks. "All the time when I was a junior. Why?"

"Would you be opposed to doing it again?" I bite my lip. "I don't think I can stay in school all day today."

Jace full-out grins. "No, I would not be opposed to doing it again. Why, _Clary Morgenstern_, are you implying that we are ditching school after this class?"

I grin back at him. "I think I am."

* * *

I bite my lip. "Jace, I don't know if we should do this..."

"Why not? All they'll do is call my parents and I'll go ahead and call my dad and let him know you fainted and I took you home or something." Jace shrugs.

"Then shouldn't we be going to the nurse?" I look at him.

He sighs heavily. "Well, if you want to do this with all of the _theatrics _involved, then fine." Jace swings his backpack on his back and says, "Swoon."

"Um." I say. "What?"

"Swoon." Jace repeats. "You know—collapse, lose consciousness, black out, faint..."

"Why?"

"Because we're doing this with _all _of the theatrics, remember?" Jace rolls his eyes. "Just collapse and look pale. That shouldn't be too hard. I'll catch you, I promise."

"Uh...okay." I raise my eyebrows at him, but I do it anyway. I shut my eyes and let myself fall, trying to look sick. I hear a few gasps around us.

Jace does catch me, and with ease he swings me up into his arms. "I'll take her to the nurse, Mrs. Lovelace, don't you worry." he calls to the art teacher, and then as we walk he mutters in my ear, "Ease up on the expression, Clary. You look constipated."

I punch his chest.

"Ow!" he complains. "You're supposed to be unconscious—or at least, too weak to hurt people."

"Oops." I mumble, and Jace laughs.

He swings open a door. "Mrs. Herondale?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here." I hear Amatis Herondale's voice say worriedly. She's Luke's biological sister—but she married into the Herondales and they had a big fight over something and now they don't talk. I think they know that they work at the same school, but they don't acknowledge it. "Is that Clary?"

"She fainted in the hallway." Jace explains.

"I'll call her parents." Amatis reassures him.

Jace hesitates. "You see, Mrs. Herondale, we're doing a project in psychology, and Clary's my partner, and she's staying at my house, and...she hasn't eaten anything today, and I think that's why she's fainted. We couldn't get her to eat breakfast this morning. I'll take her home and make sure she eats. But I don't think we need to call her parents."

Amatis hesitates, and I'm itching to open my eyes so I can see her expression. But she finally says, "Fine. But make sure she eats," and lets Jace take me home.

When we're safely out in the parking lot, I grumble, "You can put me down now, Golden Boy."

"No _way_, Carrot." Jace laughs. "All the theatrics, remember?"

Unfortunately, I do remember. "Just hurry up and get to the car."

"Oh, crap."

"What?"

"Simon and Isabelle."

"What about them?"

"They won't have a ride. And if Isabelle finds out we ditched, she'll tell Mom and Dad and then I'll go to hell." Jace groans.

"Oh." I bite my lip. "Well, we'll just come back at the end of the day and be inside when they come. They won't even know we ditched—and they'll have a ride."

He pulls open the passenger side door and neatly fits me in the seat. "That's a good idea." Jace says decidedly, shutting the door for me. He walks around the car and opens the driver's door, sitting in front of the wheel. "So, Miss I-Just-Ditched-For-The-First-Time, what do you want to do today?"

Huh. I hadn't thought about what I wanted to do. "Uh..."

My phone buzzes, and I look down to see a text from my brother. _I overreacted,_it reads. _Sorry about not coming home, Clary. I just don't want to see my family falling apart when I have the option not to. I'll call you later. _

My expression must have fallen, because Jace says softly, "Hey, you okay?"

He's looking over at me as he drives. I don't want to drag him into all of my business—he probably doesn't care enough to listen about it—so I say, "Keep your eyes on the road, Jace," and Jace rolls his eyes but does so. "I'm fine." I add, chewing on my lower lip. I look back at the text from Jonathan. "And I know what I want to do today."

* * *

"Okay, so...popcorn?"

"Check."

"Candy?"

"Check."

"Movies?"

"Check."

Jace grins. "Sweet. This may have been the best thing you could have suggested, Clary."

"I know." I laugh. "But there's an issue of what order we are watching them in."

"I just watch them in order of when they were released."

I shrug. "Okay. Oh, but we're not watching _The Incredible Hulk."_

"What?! Why not?"

"Because Mark Ruffalo doesn't even _play _him in the movie and because I've never actually liked the Hulk too much." I decide, crossing my arms over my chest. "We know the story anyway. And since _I _came up with this plan of a Marvel movie marathon, I get to decide what movies we watch and don't watch."

"Fine, Bossy Pants." Jace grumbles. "We'll start with the first _Iron Man, _then?"

I grin at him. "You got it."

* * *

Neither of us checks the time until we finish _Thor, _which we put in after _Iron Man 2._

"Um, Jace?" I say, blinking at my phone.

"Hmm?" Jace looks over at me from the DVD player, where he is currently inserting _Captain America. _

"Unless my phone's on drugs or something, it's three o'clock."

He blanches. Our school gets out at two-fifty in the afternoon—which means—

"Isabelle and Simon." Jace groans. "_Damn _it."

"We'll use my sick excuse." I suggest. "That I fainted."

"Then we'd have to explain why we've been watching Marvel movies for the past six hours." Jace points out.

There's a knock on the closed living room doors, and without warning Isabelle barges in. Her expression looks fairly angry, but it fades when she sees me and Jace sitting next to each other on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn between us.

"Clary fainted in the hallway." Jace blurts out. "I took her home, but, uh...she refused to eat anything unless we watched Marvel movies."

I glance at him.

Isabelle raises an eyebrow; she knows he isn't telling the truth. "Well, Clary, I hope you feel better." she says to me with a smile that can be nothing other than suggestive. "And I guess I'll tell Alec and Magnus you two wanted a rain check?"

"Thanks, Isabelle," I mumble. I think I'm blushing.

She shuts the doors again. "Nice stumbling over our excuse, Golden Boy," I say, turning to half-glare at Jace.

He glares right back. "Well, you weren't helping! You were just gaping at her like a fish!"

"The important thing is that she didn't care." I say decidedly.

"Yeah." Jace agrees. "So—_Captain America?"_

"_Captain America_." I confirm.

* * *

"I totally think the first _Captain America _isn't as good as any of the others." Jace says, sitting up to put in _The Avengers._

"It's about World War II." I shrug. "And since it's supposed to _be _in the forties, the technology and everything can't be as cool and recent as it is in the other movies. But I definitely like _The Winter Soldier; _it's one of my favourites."

"You've said that after each and every one of these movies." Jace snorts, sitting back down on the couch next to me.

"So? It's the truth."

"Please don't quote this movie again. It's distracting."

"Rude." I grumble, and Jace laughs. "But fine. I won't."

After we finish _The Avengers_, it's about five o'clock, so we decide to take a small break—I make more popcorn in the break time—and then we get right back to starting _Iron Man 3._

About an hour into _Iron Man 3, _Maryse knocks lightly on the living room door. She enters with a small smile and a box of pizza in her hand.

"Sweet." Jace breathes. "Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

"No problem, dear." Maryse says, and then she turns toward me. "Isabelle told me you fainted during school today. Are you okay?"

Jace snickers into his first piece of pizza. Under the blanket, I kick him in the leg. "Yes, Maryse. I'm fine; thank you."

As soon as she leaves, Jace complains, "You have bony feet."

"Thanks. Play the movie."

So for the last half of _Iron Man 3, _we eat pizza and popcorn. Jace is as into these movies as I am; it's nice to do something like this with someone. Even Jace. I think we're still at that somewhat-awkward friend stage, but we don't act like it. And I was very glad that he had been willing to ditch with me earlier today.

When _Iron Man 3 _ends, it's just past seven. Without hesitation, Jace takes the DVD out of the player and replaces it with _Thor: The Dark World_.

"I think this villain is messed up." Jace tells me. "He confused me when I first saw this movie. And how do they come up with this language that he speaks?"

"It's Elvish." I explain. "I think Stan Lee made it up in his own comics or something. But I think it's cool that they speak an invented language."

"It'd be awful to memorise for the movie."

"True." I agree. "And I really like what they did with Chris Hemsworth's style. Like his _hair_. I hated it in the first one and in _The Avengers. _I like the extensions and the braids and all of that."

"Of course you would like his hair."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jace grins at me. "Nothing, nothing."

* * *

The credits are rolling, and we're both waiting for the post-credit scene that comes at the end of every Marvel movie. "In the post-credit scene, did you know that Chris Hemsworth's wife stood in for Natalie Portman because of scheduling issues?" Jace says casually. "So if you look closely, you can tell it isn't Natalie."

"Really?" I blink. "That's strange. But cool."

"Yeah."

Once the scene finally passes, Jace checks his phone. "So it's nine-thirty," he says.

"We've only got one more movie to go." I wave a hand. "Put it in."

Jace's mouth quirks up in a smile. "Okay," he says. "_The Winter Soldier _it is."

I try not to notice that he sits a little closer to me after putting in the last movie. It sends butterflies through my stomach.

I've never been one to stay up super late on school nights. The last time I did was when I watched _The Avengers _with Max and Jace; and that was probably because I was so nervous about being around them. But today I doze lightly throughout the entire movie, and before I know it I'm leaning with my head against Jace's shoulder and my eyes are shut.

"Clary, are you awake?" I hear Jace whisper. I'm too tired to reply.

I hear the movie stop. Jace's arms slip around me in a way that they did this morning—when he carried me to the nurse's office. My head falls onto his shoulder as he carries me.

"Goodnight, Clary," says Jace, and I feel his arms slip out from underneath me, but I'm on a bed. I think he pulls the blankets over me.

And then I feel something on my temple. Something very light, like the brush of a kiss on my temple. Could he have...? No.

"'Night, Golden Boy," I murmur, and I imagine him laughing as I fall asleep completely.

* * *

**That was a super long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! And guys, I just need to let you all know that updates might be slowing soon. I'm really hoping that they won't, but if I don't have time to pretype chapters, then by the time we get to that chapter, I won't have it done. I am travelling to Colorado tonight, though, and we'll have a few hours in the car, and I'll hopefully be able to type up a chapter or two in that time. Let's just hope I can! **


	11. eleven

**Author's Note: I have to admit that it took me a while before I could actually type this chapter, because I had no idea where to start it. But now I do—so here it is!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

"How am I supposed to know what comic books he likes? Just grab a few random ones and hurry back here!"

I roll my eyes, keeping my phone against my ear with my shoulder as I look at the numerous comic books on the shelves. "Just go into his room and look at the ones he has, Jace! It's not that hard."

"That requires getting up, and that is something I am _not _willing to do." Jace states on the other end of the phone. "Look, Clary—the weather says there's supposed to be a snowstorm coming, and Mom's freaking out that you aren't back."

"Well, _I'm _freaking out because you decided to tell me that Max's birthday is the twenty-eighth of February _on the twenty-eighth of February!" _I say sharply, grabbing a few comics off one of the shelves. "Does Max have any X-Men comics?"

"No. So buy those and _hurry up_." Jace groans. "Mom's seriously freaking out here, Clary. If she kills us all because of you, I'm _so _blaming you."

"Thanks." I say dryly. "It's not my fault I wanted to buy something for my favourite member of the Lightwood family."

"Ha-ha," says Jace sarcastically. "If you aren't back in ten minutes, you are _so _dead."

He hangs up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and pull out the money I need to buy Max's comic books. Today is his tenth birthday—and since it's double digits and I love that kid to death, I decided to buy him comic books. But it was _Jace_ who "forgot" to tell me when Max's birthday is. Jace Lightwood is going to be the death of me.

The project has been going on for nearly two months now—so it's nearly halfway over. I've been living at the Lightwoods' for two out of five months—and soon, right before spring break, Isabelle and Simon are going to go stay at Simon's home. So it's just going to be me, Jace, and occasionally Max. Alec doesn't stick around during the day long enough.

I pay for the comic books and hurry out into the biting February air; the snow has started to fall and it's all over my car when I reach it. I quickly get inside and start the car, pulling out onto the road and toward the Lightwoods'.

My phone buzzes. When I stop at a stoplight intersection, I pick it up and press accept. "Hello?" I ask.

"Clary?" Jonathan's voice answers. "Hi! How are you?"

"Hey, Jon." I smile slightly. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm great." Jonathan exhales.

I bite my lip. "Great enough to come home in a couple weeks?"

"Clary," says my brother with a sigh. "You aren't even going to _be _in the house."

"I already asked Maryse and she said she would be fine with you staying at their house!" I complain, taking a right when the stoplight turns green. "We _all _want you there."

"I can't."

"Mom and Dad want you here, too."

"But I don't want to _be _there, Clary. I like where I am. I'll come home for the summer; maybe you can visit me over spring break?"

I sigh. There's no arguing with my brother. "Fine," I say, taking a left. "Maybe spring break. I'll think about it, Jon."

"But you can't promise. I know." Jonathan sighs. "How're Mom and Dad?"

"They got the papers." I say, which is what I know he's really asking about. "They both signed. I don't know how much longer until they're officially divorced, but they won't be married for much longer. And then Mom can go and live with Luke. Dad's keeping the house."

"I'm _so _glad you're eighteen." Jonathan admits. "Custody battles are a bitch. My friends have gone through them before."

"Me too." I sigh.

"So have you applied for any collages yet?"

I curse.

My brother laughs. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"I've been so caught up with this stupid project that I totally forgot." I groan out loud. "_Damn _it!"

"Clary, there's still time. Calm down." Jonathan laughs again.

"Yeah, but that time will be gone before I know it." I pull into the Lightwoods' driveway and say, "Look, Jon, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright, Clary. Love you."

"Love you too, Jon." I say. Jonathan hangs up and I grab the comic books from the backseat, shoving them inside of my coat to hide them when I get inside.

"Nine minutes and _fifty-seven _seconds, Carrot." Jace says appreciatively the minute I get inside. "You just got here."

"You weren't going to do anything to me even if I _was _late." I say confidently.

Jace raises his eyebrows. "So what comics did you get?"

"A few X-Men ones." I answer. "Issues one through five."

"_Five?" _Jace whistles. "Max is going to want to marry you after getting those from you. I might be jealous. I think he likes you more than he likes me."

"I think he's liked me more for a while." I tease, and Jace grumbles under his breath as I put the comic books inside the gift bag. "Where's the family?"

"Living room." Jace points down the hall. "Alec's here, too, by the way. Alec will be glad to see you."

"Speaking of older brothers, do you think Luke's allowing us a one-week break for spring break?" I walk with my partner of the project down the hallway. "Jon asked me to visit him over in Michigan."

"Well, I think Graymark will let you do whatever you want." Jace points out, and I laugh because he's right. Ever since I found out about Luke's affair with my mom, he's been all-too-willing to let me get my way with whatever I want in psychology. If I asked for a straight-A grade, he'd probably give it to me immediately.

"Good point." I say. Jace pulls open the door to the living room.

"Hi, Clary!" Max grins at me widely.

"Hey, Max!" I can't help but grin back at him. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks." Max says. He waves at his brother and then turns to Maryse. "So now that everyone's here, can we open gifts?"

Maryse sighs. "Sure, dear."

"Mine first." Alec insists. "Well, it's from me and Magnus, actually." He hands a wrapped package to Max—and once Max unwraps it, it turns out to be X-Men trilogy.

"Sweet!" exclaims Max. "I am going to stay up late and watch all of these tonight."

"Oh, no you're not." Maryse grumbles.

Jace smiles next to me.

Max turns his wide grey eyes on me. "Can I open yours, Clary?" he asks me.

I hand him the bag. "Sure. If you liked Alec's, I think you'll like mine."

Which he does. The minute Max pulls the comics out, his eyes light up brighter than I've ever seen. "_Clary!" _he says happily. "How did you know I wanted new comics? And _X-Men _comics?"

"It was just a guess." I admit. The smile on the ten-year-old's face is extremely wide. "I'm just glad you like them, Max."

"I _love _them," he gushes. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." I say. And that whole thing kind of makes my day.

Isabelle and Simon get Max an authentic Iron Man helmet, and Maryse and Robert get him a bunch of action figures.

"So what did you get your little brother, huh?" I look at Jace.

Jace smiles slightly. "Max told me a while ago, when we went ice skating, that he wanted to remember that moment forever, because he felt really happy that he could teach you to skate. So I asked Magnus for a little something..."

As he speaks, Max is unwrapping the last gift, which I assume is from Jace, who is grinning beside me.

And then I see it.

It's a photo frame that has been decorated with Avengers stickers, and inside of the frame is a picture.

And I'm in it.

It's when we were at the ice skating rink; Max is on my left and Jace is on my right. I look absolutely terrified; Max looks more than happy; and Jace even looks amused. They're both holding my hands in the photograph, and they're teaching me how to ice skate.

"Oh my gosh." Max blinks at it, and then he looks up at Jace. "You actually remembered."

Jace's grin is as wide as I've ever seen it. "Of course I did, Max. Happy birthday."

Max beams back at his older brother. "I'm gonna go put this next to my bed." he says, getting up from the couch and running out of the room.

"That was really nice of you." I say, looking up at Jace. "Though putting my horrified face in that picture was not."

Jace laughs. "Max really loves you, you know that?"

"Well, I love him too." I smile lightly. "You've got a great family, Golden Boy."

"Thanks." Jace blinks at me. "And hey, I was thinking about your spring break thing...and I was wondering if maybe I could come with?"

I blink. "Oh."

"I want to meet your brother." he explains. "I don't think my mom would mind. If you just want to be alone with your brother, I understand."

"No." I say. "I think it's a good idea." And I mean it. I've told Jonathan a lot about Jace, and I know that Jon wants to meet Jace as well. "I'll call Jon and talk to him about it, but I don't think he'll mind."

"Really?" Jace grins. "Cool. Thank you."

"Of course." I grin back at him. And butterflies erupt in my stomach again.

* * *

**Whew! I barely had time to update but I did so here's the chapter! I haven't pretyped chapter 13 yet, and I don't know when I'll have time, but I'll try to keep the updates consistent, but I don't know, guys...**

**So Jace and Clary are going on a road trip (or a flight trip?) to Michigan! How fun will that be!?**

**Oh, and guys, I have a specific time already planned out for when Jace and Clary are going to get together, and it won't be until the second half of the project, but just hang in there! Just because they're not together doesn't mean they can't flirt and be more-than-friends-but-not-realising-it! **


	12. twelve

**Author's Note: (still have nothing to say here because pretyping chapters can have its downsides)**

**But HEY! The wifi works in this hotel room so I can update! Yaaay!**

**There's a really nice Clary/Simon moment in here, but it's not romantic. It's really sweet, and I loved writing it.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

I'm sitting on Jace's bed, working on my English homework, when he knocks on the open door. "Hey."

"Hi." I look up at Jace, setting my papers aside. "What's up?"

"Mom wants us all in the living room." he answers. "That storm I told you about really picked up after you got here. We're all snowed in—the whole city's in a state of emergency."

I blink. "Jeez."

"I know." Jace smiles lightly. "But come on. We'll have fun with my family, I promise."

"I don't need reassurance, Golden Boy." I slide off the bed and join him at the open door. "I _love _your family."

Jace rolls his eyes. "Oh, and by the way—I'll need your help with distracting my mom."

"Why?"

"Magnus stopped by because he left his phone here, but the storm kept him in. He can't go anywhere and Mom's upset, like usual." he sighs. "But on the bright side, we probably won't have school tomorrow."

"Sweet." I grin, pulling the living room door open. "I love snow days. It'll just suck when we have to make them up later, though."

"Well, if the city's in a state of emergency and nobody's allowed on the roads, they can't count it." Jace's grin widens.

"Of course you would know that." I snort, walking inside of the living room. The rest of the family is already there—Maryse, Robert, Alec, and Isabelle and playing a board game with Max, Simon is reading, and Magnus is on his phone.

"Hey, Clary," calls Alec, giving me a wave.

"Hi." I smile at him, sitting down on the couch next to Simon with my English homework.

My best friend peers over my shoulder at it, pushes up his glasses, and says, "You're doing it wrong."

I freeze. "I am not."

"You are too." Simon argues. "The Shakespearean language is very hard to interpret, and you, my dear, lovely, best friend, are doing it wrong."

"You're kidding!" I groan. "I've been working on this stupid worksheet for two hours already!"

Simon gives me an apologetic smile. "I didn't want you to get an F."

"Thanks, Simon." I say genuinely, erasing the work I'd already done on the paper. "So how are you and Isabelle? I don't talk to you that much anymore."

"I know." Simon grumbles, throwing his arm over my shoulder. "But me and Izzy are fine. Rebecca and Mom are really excited to meet her."

"They're gonna love her." I muse.

"They really will." he sighs. "Clary, I miss you."

"I miss you too, Simon." I bite my lip. "I miss you and your nonstop book reading and your homework correcting and your Star Wars obsession and your—"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Simon complains, and I laugh out loud. "You miss me. Whatever. I miss you too. I miss your—"

"Don't even." I grumble, and he laughs. "So what book are you on this time?"

"The fifth Harry Potter."

"You've read that thing fifty times, at least."

"It's been sixty."

I roll my eyes. "You, Simon, are the straight-up definition of a nerd."

But Simon just beams at me. "Why thank you."

"Are you glad we did this project?" I look up at him (because everyone is still taller than me when I sit down). "With you having Isabelle as a partner?"

"I am." Simon admits. "I don't think I would have had the courage to talk to her otherwise. And I think, deep down, _you're _even glad you're partners with Jace."

I look over at Jace, who is standing by his family. His grin is wide, easy, and carefree—and he laughs when he helps Isabelle make a move that puts her in the lead. "Yeah." I say slowly, biting down on my lower lip. "I guess I am glad."

"So what are you doing for spring break?" Simon asks.

"Jon invited me to Michigan for the week." I smile. "And Jace."

"He invited Jace?"

"Jace asked if he could go. I asked Jon. Jon said yes."

"Wow." Simon exhales. "Jonathan must be very fond of Jace to let him come with you."

"Yeah." I frown. "But I'm glad he likes Jace."

"Do _you _like Jace?"

"Of course I do."

"I don't mean in a friend way, Clary."

_Oh. _I blush. "Uh—I don't know."

"It's obvious he likes you." Simon glances over at Jace. "Maybe not to you, but to the rest of us."

"I don't..." I bite my lip. "I don't like him that way, Simon. I mean, yeah, he's cute, but if I liked every guy I thought was cute, then you and I would have dated when you still loved me."

Simon groans out loud. "I wish I never _told _you that."

I laugh. "I'm glad you did, Simon."

"Sure you are." he grumbles. "You say that every time you make a joke about it."

"And I'll keep saying it every time I make a joke about it." I poke him in the side. "Really, Simon, I _am _glad you told me." I add seriously. "The fact that you were able to _tell _me you were in love with me gives you a lot of courage. I wouldn't be able to do that."

"It kind of just came out of me." Simon looks embarrassed. "I wasn't _planning _on telling you, but I felt like if I did then I could stop loving you. I knew you didn't like me back."

"I wonder if things would have been easier if I did." I frown.

"I like things the way they are." Simon says decidedly. "I'm glad you didn't like me back."

"You really like Isabelle, huh?" I smile lightly, watching as his eyes fix on his girlfriend.

"Yeah." Simon says softly. "I really, really do."

"I'm glad." I say. And then I grin. "Name me godmother, okay?"

Simon stutters, his cheeks growing pink. "I—I'm not—we aren't—_Clary!"_

But I'm only laughing, leaning up against Simon's shoulder for support as I do so. Simon, still mortified, manages to crack a smile.

I missed Simon more than I thought. "I couldn't help myself," I wheeze, stifling my giggles. "I'm sorry."

Simon shakes his head at me. "No matter _what _happens, Clary, you will always be my best friend, and I will always be yours. Okay?"

I grin at him. "Okay."

* * *

After hours of being in the living room, Maryse finally lets us go back to our rooms to sleep. Magnus stays in one of the guest rooms—though we all know he'll eventually sneak back to Alec's. Isabelle and Simon go back to Isabelle's room, and Jace and I go back to Jace's.

"I seriously think you should start sleeping in the bed." I say, biting my lip.

"I like the floor." Jace replies. "And I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."

I bite my lip a second time, chewing on it in thought. "Maybe...maybe we can both sleep in the bed." I say slowly.

Jace blanches, and then his cheeks flush lightly. "Uh," he says, "okay."

"Alright." I climb onto my side of the bed, and Jace slips in beside me. "Goodnight, then."

"'Night." Jace mumbles. And I'm asleep within seconds.

* * *

"Clary?" Jace's voice says gently. "Clary, wake up."

"I'm 'wake." I mumble sleepily.

"The power went out." he explains. "I'm going to go find a few more blankets for you, okay?"

I make a small noise to let him know I heard him.

Jace's weight leaves the bed—and the heat; I hadn't known he was so _warm_—and I doze while waiting for him to come back. I don't know how long he's gone, but by the time he finally does come back and places the blankets on top of the bed, I'm shivering.

"Maybe I should sleep on the floor." Jace says hesitantly, biting his lip.

"No." I say instantly. "It's not fair. I won't allow you to sleep on the floor."

"Clary—"

"Just get in the stupid bed, Jace." I say stubbornly, turning on my side so I'm facing away from him. "You're going to have serious back issues if you keep sleeping on the floor, anyway."

Jace sighs and mumbles something under his breath, climbing into the bed beside me. "I can _feel _you shivering, Clary." he complains.

"Sorry." I all-but snap. "It's not my fault I'm cold."

Jace sighs a second time. "Come here."

"What?"

"Come over here."

"Over by you?"

"That's what I'm implying, yes."

Hesitantly, I move in the bed so I'm closer to him. Jace wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him, making a face at the coldness of my body against the warmth of his. "Thanks." I mumble. "I probably would have frozen to death."

"You know, you would warm up faster if you took your clothes off." Jace remarks dryly, and I whack his shoulder. "I was _kidding_, Carrot. Jeez."

"Yeah, yeah." I say, rolling my eyes.

Somewhere between then and the next hour, Jace falls asleep. I'm completely warm, but he still doesn't let go of me, and I don't let go of him.

It's in this very moment that I realise that I have a crush on Jace Lightwood.

* * *

***chants* clace clace clace clace**


	13. thirteen

**Author's Note: Thank goodness for not having a license and going on driving trips, because I have time to type this chapters. Oh, and thank goodness for super long battery life on my laptop.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"I'm so excited for you to get over here, Clary." Jonathan gushes to me over the phone. "And I'm actually really excited to meet Jace."

"Really?" I'm a little nervous. "Well, that's good. Jace is a nice guy. Real nice."

There's a pause from my brother. And then—"You totally like him, don't you?"

I don't know what's worse: the fact that he guessed it, or the fact that it's true. "Jon!" I all-but shout, remembering to keep my voice down because if Jace heard me yelling he would come in and I'd be mortally embarrassed.

"What?" says Jonathan innocently. "I'm just _asking_."

"Well, don't ask." I complain, nervously knotting my free hand in my hair.

"Just give me an answer first, Clary."

"I think you already know the answer." I admit, sighing heavily.

Jonathan, to my surprise, laughs loudly. "I thought you hated him!"

"I used to."

"And now you don't?"

"Nope."

"Hmm." my brother makes a humming sound. "I wonder what made you change your mind."

"A bunch of things." I muse. "The ice skating, the apologising, the teasing, the road trip plans, the cuddling..."

"The _cuddling?" _Jonathan shouts into the phone, and I wince at the volume. "Elaborate, please!"

"Well, uh," I say slowly, biting my tongue. "It was a few nights ago—the last day of February. Jace had been sleeping on the floor since the project started, and he refused to let me sleep on the floor, so I suggested we share the bed. And then, uh, the power went out, and I got super cold, and Jace...well, he kind of put his arms around me."

"That was the first _and _last time he slept in the bed with you, correct?" demands my brother.

"Er," I say. The truth is—he'd been sleeping in the bed with me since that night. It wasn't something we actually ever talked about, but it was just assumed that he would stay in the bed and so would I.

"Clary." Jonathan groans.

"We don't sleep _together, _if that's what you're implying!" I complain. "We have our specific sides of the bed, Jon, and we don't sleep in each other's arms. We aren't a couple. You know that."

But I wasn't about to tell him that I'd woken up before Jace some mornings and one of his arms was against my waist, or that I was pressed up against his back, and slowly I would inch back over to my side without waking him up. Since the abundance of snow, Jace had stopped going on jogs, and he slept as long as he could.

"Are you two driving here? Or are you flying?" Jonathan inquires.

"We haven't figured it out yet," I say. "Depends on how long it takes to drive, and when we'll leave and come back, and how many days you'll be able to stay un-annoyed by me."

"You could _never _annoy me, Clary," says my brother sarcastically, and I snort. "I think you two should fly."

"It's a lot of money to fly, Jon."

"I'll help pay."

"_You _don't have the money. And even if you did, save it to pay off your student loans." I bite my lip. "I could consider talking to Mom or Dad and asking for money."

"When was the last time you talked to either one of them?"

"The last time I talked to Mom was the night she told me about the divorce."

Jonathan makes a noise. "Clary!"

"What?" I blink. "You probably haven't spoken to either of them yet, either!"

"Well, _I'm _in a different state, and I'm already out of the house. You are still in high school and _they _are still your guardians. You still live in their house, Clary. And they're your parents."

"They're _your _parents too," I point out.

Jonathan sighs. "I wouldn't hold this against them much longer. Sure, you can still be mad at Mom, and at Luke, but don't take it out on them anymore."

When I don't answer, he continues. "Dad misses you, Clary, you know that. Give him a call or meet him for lunch or something."

"I thought Dad worked on Saturdays." I say.

"He's got today off." Jonathan answers.

My eyebrows rise. "Did he call you about this, Jonathan?"

"Maybe."

"Fine." I sigh. "I'll call him."

Jonathan's exhale is relieved. "Great. I have to go, Clary, but I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Alright." I slide off the bed and slip on my shoes. "Bye, Jon. Love you."

"Love you too, little sis," says my brother, and then he hangs up.

As soon as the call is over, I dial my father's number. It rings twice—enough time for me to pace back and forth four times—and then Dad answers.

"Clary?" he asks immediately, and I can hear sadness in his voice. He really had missed me.

"Hi, Dad," I say. "How are you?"

"Holding up." Valentine answers dryly. I crack a smile. "What about you?"

"Holding up," I respond. "Are you busy?"

"Nope," answers my father. "Why? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." I reassure him. "But how about I meet you somewhere for lunch? Is that okay with you?"

"Oh!" he sounds surprised and extremely happy. "Yes, Clary, that sounds great. How does Panera Bread sound? It's on me."

"You don't have to pay for me, Dad," I say immediately.

"I want to, Clary." Valentine answers. "I'll see you there."

He hangs up.

* * *

For the first time since the project started, I take my own car to Panera. It hadn't been touched since winter break before today, and I had missed it terribly. And though it had five seats, we didn't take it to school because my car was parked in front of Isabelle's. So there had been no point.

I pull to a stop in the Panera parking lot and put my car in park, removing the keys and stepping out. I immediately spot my father's Vibe and see that he is waiting inside of it.

When he sees me—or possibly just my hair—he smiles brightly and hops out. His white-blond hair is greying more than I thought it had been, I think. He looks less like my young and energetic father, but like a saddened and kind older man.

"Hi, Clary," he says to me, reaching out. I give him a hug. "I think you've gotten taller."

"Don't tease me, Dad," I threaten him, and Valentine laughs loudly. "We both know I won't get taller."

"You don't know that." Valentine reminds me. He lets go of me and we walk inside of the restaurant. "How's your brother?"

"Jon?" I frown. "Didn't you speak to him on the phone?"

Valentine frowns back. "No, I haven't."

"Oh." I say. That's weird. Jonathan normally would never push me toward Dad _or _Mom. "Well, Jon's good. I'm actually going up to visit him for spring break."

"Really?" Valentine smiles lightly. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah." I say. "Jace is coming with me."

We order our food and choose a table to sit at. My father's eyebrows rise. "Jace is coming with you?"

I nod, tugging on a strand of my hair. "He asked. Jon said it was okay, so he's coming with."

"So you don't hate him anymore?"

I note the surprise in Valentine's voice. "No, I don't. I...well; I like him a lot more than I should."

Valentine laughs. "At some point, I want to meet him."

"Doesn't everyone?" I sigh. "But I'll make a note of that. Jace would like to meet you, too."

"You aren't...doing anything with him, are you?"

"I am _so _not having this conversation with you."

My father holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I was just curious." his voice softens a little as he adds, "You're just growing up so fast."

"I know." I say. "I'm graduating in three months."

"That's insane."

"You'll be there, right?" I ask immediately.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Valentine promises. "I'll even bring a large poster to root for you, if you want."

I blush embarrassedly. "No, no, don't do that."

"I didn't think you wanted me to." he agrees with a laugh.

We talk for _hours. _Our food comes and we eat, and as we talk after that I realise just how much I really missed my father. I missed everything about him. Not once do we talk about Mom.

I check my phone and blanch. "Dad, it's five."

Valentine makes a noise. "Really?"

"Yeah." I smile sheepishly. "Maryse is going to go ballistic if I'm not there for dinner." I can already see the numerous missed calls from Jace.

"I don't want to miss any more of the game than I have already." Valentine agrees. He stands up and gives me one last hug that we both hold on for too long. "I miss you, Clary."

"I miss you too, Dad," I say quietly.

"Give me a call whenever you want lunch again, okay?" Valentine's smile is wide.

"Okay." I agree. We say our goodbyes and I head back to my car, dialling Jace's number.

Jace answers immediately. "Hello?"

"Hi." I pull out of the parking lot. "Missed me?"

"Not at all." Jace teases. "How was lunch with Dad?"

"It was nice." I say. "Has Maryse gone nuts yet?"

"Nope. She's planning on a late dinner."

"Perfect." I grin. "I'll be home in a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Take your time." Jace reassures me. "It's no rush. See you."

"Bye." I say.

"Bye," he says.

I hang up first, and then I realise that I've just called it 'home'. Like I lived there. And the conversation I just had with Jace was very familiar.

I try to imagine living with Jace and being with him as I finish the drive home. It's _easy _to imagine; and then again, we are supposed to be acting like a married couple. And Luke had said he put Jace and me together for a reason.

Hey, but at least he didn't make the girls change their last names. 'Clary Lightwood' sounds a little off, don't you think?

(But if I'm being honest, I kind of like it.)

* * *

**Hey, guys! Next chapter will be the Clace trip to Michigan, and then we'll be getting closer and closer to Jace and Clary finally getting together, but it'll still be a while before that happens. I'm not sure **_**how **_**much longer, but there's a big event that will happen first.**

**And tonight I'll be leaving for Vegas! When you get tomorrow's update, it'll have been posted from Nevada :D**


	14. fourteen

**Author's Note: there's no freaking wifi in this hotel room and so therefore i am vERY FRUSTRATED**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

"It means a lot that you're driving us to the airport, Izzy," I say for the millionth time from the backseat. Jace grins beside me.

"It's no _problem_, Clary, really." Isabelle reassures me. "I love driving. Plus, Jace paid for my gas, so I'm happy about that, too."

I glance at Jace. "Of course he did."

Today is the Friday that starts spring break. After Jace drove us home from school, he and I grabbed our bags, put them in the back of Isabelle's car, and she drove us straight toward the airport. "She had offered to do it without the gas money, Carrot." Jace pats my head and I try not to blush. Dealing with this whole crush thing is hard. "But I felt bad, so I gave her the money."

"It's true." Isabelle says cheerfully. "The airport's just up here, so be ready."

In just a few short minutes, she pulls to a stop in the unloading strip in front of the airport. I hop out of my side and Isabelle hugs me right away as Jace grabs the bags from the back. "Have _fun_, Clary," she says to me. "Tell Jonathan that Alec's little sister says hi. He'll know who I am."

"He will?" I laugh, pulling away.

"He met me before." Isabelle squeezes my arms with a smile. "He'll know. Seriously, have fun in Michigan."

"Thanks, Isabelle." I smile back at her. "Have fun at Simon's. Rebecca's _super _nice, and so is Ms. Lewis. You'll love them. You'll tell them I said hi?"

"Of course." she beams at me. "I'll see you at school when you get back."

"Bye, Izzy," I say, giving her one last hug. I move back toward Jace and pull the bags off the road as Jace says his goodbye to Isabelle.

He rejoins me as Isabelle's car drives away. "Ready?" he grabs his duffel bag and I grab mine, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Ready." I say. I've never been one to be excited until it's actually _happening—_and right now, I'm excited to see my brother.

"Alright." Jace checks his watch. "We've got two hours until boarding. We can get our boarding passes, check our bags, go through security, and grab dinner."

"Sounds like a plan." I say. And we enter the airport.

* * *

After getting our boarding passes and checking our bags, we head toward security. Our flight from New York City to Detroit isn't terribly long, but Jace and I decide to watch a movie together to pass the time.

There's no line at security. We whiz through it and make it to our terminal, stopping on the way to grab McDonalds for dinner.

"So we just sit here for an hour and wait." I say, and Jace nods as we take our seats in our terminal. "This will be fun."

"Of course it will be." Jace leans back in his seat. "Screaming babies, whining children. How much more fun can this be?"

I laugh at that.

We sit and talk for about a half hour and then Jace gets up to go to the bathroom. I check my phone for the time, and as I do, an old lady asks me, "Is that your boyfriend?"

I look up. She looks very kind. "Oh." I blush lightly. "No, that's just a friend of mine. We aren't together."

"You seem like you are." she muses, and then holds out her hand. "My name is Imogen."

"Clary," I say, shaking her hand. It's very frail. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Imogen smiles. "Are you _sure _that isn't your boyfriend?"

"Positive." I laugh.

"Well," she says, "I'll leave you alone now. But it was nice meeting you."

"You, too," I say. She leaves and goes back to her own seat as Jace sits down.

"Did I miss anything?" he asks me, reaching for a fry from his McDonalds bag.

I shake my head. "Nothing."

Imogen is smiling at me from across the terminal.

* * *

The movie we watch on the flight is _The Avengers._

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Jace grumbles as I start the movie. "I must really like you if I'm watching this movie yet _again _with you. This is the third time."

I laugh, ignoring the fluttering in my stomach. "You love this movie. Don't deny it."

He rolls his eyes and puts in one of the headphones. I watch the movie too, ignoring how we breathe in sync and how his whole arm is pressed up against mine. The fluttering in my stomach continues.

Imogen's kind words flash through my mind. Sure, I like Jace, but he doesn't like me. He'd _never _like me. I'd always just be Carrot to him. And I'd have to go on pretending that he would always be Golden Boy to me.

When the flight is over, I put my laptop back in my backpack and sling it over my back. Jace follows me out of the airplane.

"Has Jonathan texted you?" Jace asks me as we walk toward baggage claim.

"Yeah." I answer. "He's waiting outside of the baggage claim."

Jace nods as we wait. It's nine o'clock at night, and it's dark and cold outside after we grab our bags.

"Well, if it isn't my lovely dwarf sister," my brother says teasingly from behind me.

I turn around and hug my brother tightly. "Be grateful I'm too happy to punch you for that comment, Jon," I mumble.

Jonathan laughs and lets go of me, taking my bag. "You must be Jace." he says, nodding at Jace with a smile. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard _tons_ about you."

"Oh, really?" Jace cocks an eyebrow, looking at me.

I blush. "Yeah. I've told him all about you. You know, how annoying you are."

Jace makes a face at me as he places his bag next to mine in the trunk. "You're funny, Carrot."

"I know I am." I grin at him. I sit in the backseat next to Jace. "So how's college been, Jon?"

"Difficult." Jonathan admits. "But it has its fun moments. How's Alec, Jace?"

"He's good." Jace nods. "He got out of college early this year."

"He told me about that." Jonathan nods. "I'll have to see him this summer at some point."

"Oh!" I say. "Alec's little sister says hi."

Jonathan's eyebrows furrow in the mirror. "Isabelle?" he asks. I nod. "Oh, cool. She was a nice kid."

"How come I'd never met you before?" Jace wonders out loud.

"I only met Isabelle once, and that was because Alec drove her to the mall." Jonathan informs us. "I went over to the Lightwoods' place plenty of times, but that's weird. I never met you, Jace, or Max, either."

"I'd never really met Alec." I remember.

"Yeah, that's weird." Jonathan frowns. "You must have been at Simon's whenever Alec came over or something. Speaking of which, how is my favourite Star Wars-loving nerd?"

We spend the drive to Ann Arbor filling Jonathan in about life at home. He laughs at Jace's terrible jokes, and he also laughs when I make fun of Jace.

"Alright, kiddos," says my brother, stopping in front of the hotel. "Here's your home for the week."

"Thanks for driving us, Jon," I say. I give him another hug after we step out of the car.

"No problem, little sis." Jonathan grins at me. "I'm super glad you're here. We're going to have a freaking blast here this week."

"I hope so." I laugh. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup." he agrees. "Bye, Clary. Bye, Jace."

"See you." Jace nods at my brother.

"So?" I ask Jace as we enter the hotel. "What do you think of my brother?"

Jace pauses before answering. "He reminds me of you a lot." he says. "I can see the resemblance. Same eyes. Does he get the white-blond hair from your dad?"

"Yeah." I nod. "I get the red from my mom."

"I figured." Jace says. "But yeah, he's cool. I knew he would be, though."

"Yeah." I agree. Jace moves to the hotel desk to check us in (because sharing a room with two beds was cheaper than two rooms with one bed each, and we were already used to sharing a room because of the project), and I wait.

I don't know what I'm getting myself into with this vacation, but I have a feeling that this vacation is going to be something I'll never forget.

* * *

**So I don't think anything big will happen during the vacation in Michigan...these two lovebirds are going to be put through a lot later. I'll give them a break.**

**The next two chapters will be of their Michigan adventures. (hey, that's the name of an amusement park in Michigan! I've been there before a few times.) So keep reading and enjoying! **


	15. fifteen

**Author's Note: Here's part one of the Michigan trip! And I've got bunches to say at the bottom.**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Saturday morning, I wake up in my hotel bed. Jace is still fast asleep, so I take the opportunity to shower and get ready for the day before he wakes up. Jonathan wanted me and Jace to visit the University of Michigan campus to get a feel of collages in the fall, and that was what we were doing today.

By the time I'm out of the shower and dressed, Jace is awake. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty," I tease him.

"Oh, shut up." Jace grumbles and I laugh.

"The bathroom's all yours, Golden Boy," I say. "There's breakfast downstairs and then Jon's picking us up so we can head to the university."

"Sounds good." Jace muses. He locks himself in the bathroom.

I finish getting ready by brushing my hair and blowing it dry. It wouldn't be good if I got sick because of wet hair. When I'm done, I sit on my bed and wait for Jace.

He steps out five minutes later. "Ready for breakfast?" he asks me.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I say, standing up. "I'm starving."

"Me too." Jace agrees, opening the hotel door for me. I grab a room key and put it in my pocket as we leave. "What time is Jon coming?"

"Twenty minutes." I answer. "That's enough time for us to eat, right?"

"Yup." Jace replies, popping the 'p'. "So have you applied for any colleges?"

"No." I admit. "Not yet. I've been busy with this project."

Jace sighs. "Same here," he says. "But maybe visiting U of M will motivate me."

"I was looking at applying here." I inform him. "If I did, Jon and I would share a flat until he finishes college."

"What do you want to do?" Jace inquires. "As a job?"

"Speech therapist." I reply. "Or a regular teacher. I think it'd be cool to teach kids. Maybe not high school, though. Luke's got his hands full with all of us."

He laughs. "Yeah. That's true. How long have you known Graymark?"

"Since birth, basically." I say. "He's been friends with my parents since their own high school days. But now that's all gone to hell."

"Are your parents still in the process of finalizing it?"

"Yeah." We reach the elevator and I press the down button. "Mom moved to Luke's place, and now Dad has that huge house to himself. It's kind of sad."

"I can only imagine." Jace says quietly. "Are you still upset by it?"

"I've gotten over it." I sigh. "I wish it never happened, but the past is in the past. I can't take it back. Nobody can. So my kids will have one more grandfather than usual. They'll understand divorce one day."

"They'll have more grandparents to spoil them." Jace points out.

At that, I laugh. "You're right." I say, stepping out of the elevator when it opens. "You know, I'm glad you came with me here."

"You are?" Jace sounds surprised.

"Yeah." we walk into the lobby, where the complimentary breakfast is. "I really am."

"Well, I'm glad you let me come."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe you wanted to spend time with your brother alone." Jace shrugs. "That's what I'd want to do with Alec if I didn't see him so much. I'm glad he decided to stay local, but that was mostly for Max's benefit. Isabelle's not planning on going to college in New York, and neither am I, really. I feel bad that Max is going to be the only one in the house, but..."

"He'll understand when he's going to college himself." I say. "And he's got friends, doesn't he? The Blackthorns?"

"Yeah." Jace smiles. "He's got a crush on one of them. Dru or Livvy—I can't remember."

We both get our breakfasts and sit together at a table. The conversation ends there, and between us the silence is awkward, but neither of us speak until we're both done eating.

"Jon's outside," I inform Jace as I throw away my plate. "You ready to go visit a college campus?"

"Sure." Jace says, biting his lip. "Is it bad if I'm a little nervous?"

"Not at all." Now that I think about it, I'm nervous too—but I don't know if that's because I'm around Jace, or because of the college. "It's scary to think you're growing up."

"I miss being a kid sometimes." he admits.

"Me too." I agree. "But mostly because Jon was home. I relied on him more than I relied on my parents."

"Alec was my best friend when I was younger." Jace tells me. We walk outside. "I think it's the closeness of age."

"Yeah." I wave at Jonathan, who is sitting in his car. "Well, let's go grow up."

* * *

The University of Michigan campus is huge.

"Welcome to my school." Jonathan says as he drives into the parking lot of the collage. "Isn't it massive?"

"Massive has to be an understatement." Jace whistles under his breath. "I've seen pictures of this place, but none of them actually show how big it is."

"You get the hang of where everything is after the first few weeks." Jonathan informs us. "C'mon, I've got a few people I want you to meet."

So we get out of the car. Jace and I follow Jonathan around, spotting the crowds of people all around. A few of them wave to my brother.

"Clary, this is my girlfriend, Mary Seelie. Mary, this is my sister, Clary." Jonathan takes a beautiful girl's hand and smiles at her, gesturing to me. "And Mary, this is Clary's friend Jace Lightwood. Jace, this is Mary."

"It's nice to meet you." Jace tells her.

"And you." Mary Seelie smiles at him, and then looks at me. "I've heard a lot about you, Clary."

"Really? I wish I could say the same." I say, smiling back at her, glancing at my brother.

Jonathan looks sheepish. "Sorry?"

Mary only laughs.

"And this is my best friend, Sebastian Verlac," adds my brother, gesturing to a dark-haired boy on Mary's other side. "He's Aline Penhallow's cousin, actually."

"Really?" I shake Sebastian's hand. "Wow. Cool. Aline's a nice girl."

Sebastian smiles at this.

"So you're a senior in high school, right?" asks Mary.

"Yeah." I say.

"Have you applied anywhere?"

"Not yet." I look around me. "But I'll do it soon. New York is nice, but it gets kind of boring after eighteen years."

"My thoughts exactly." Jonathan grins at me.

"What about you, Jace?" Mary turns toward him.

Jace shrugs. "I haven't applied anywhere either, yet. But I'm definitely leaving New York."

We stay and talk with my brother, his girlfriend, and his best friend for a while. Mary is a wonderful girl—and the way that Jonathan looks at her tells me that he really loves her. And she really loves him. They hold hands the whole time. And Sebastian cracks jokes that have us laughing for minutes.

When it reaches lunchtime, Jonathan and Sebastian offer to go grab a pizza from off campus. "Do you want to come with, Jace?" asks my brother.

Jace glances at me. "Sure," he answers, rising from his seat. He follows the two college freshman away from the table.

"So." Mary says. "That's Jace?"

I blink. "Has Jon told you about him?"

"Only that you like him," she admits. "You know, I hated your brother at first. He was super annoying, and he was a show off."

I laugh. "That sounds like Jonathan."

"But then after a couple months, we had to do a project together for our science class." Mary continues, and at this she smiles. "And we hung out a lot, and that's when I realised that he was only like that because he was nervous about being away from home. He wasn't used to it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. By the end of the project—which was only a two-week assignment—we were dating. And we have been ever since."

"How long have you two been together?" I wring my hands together.

"It'll be five months in the beginning of April." Mary's smile widens. "He talks about you all the time, you know. He misses you a lot."

"I miss having him at home." I admit. "And now I feel guilty about wanting him home after this."

Mary laughs. "Yeah. I felt guilty about wanting him to stay—and I was so happy when he decided to. But when I found out why..."

"Then you felt guilty again." I supply, and Mary nods. "I know the feeling."

"I'm surprised you and Jace aren't together yet." Mary muses, and I feel myself blush. "It's so obvious that you like each other."

"Is it?" I bite my lip. "I'm not super familiar with the whole crush thing."

"I don't think Jace can tell." Mary says. "Just as I don't think you can tell he likes you."

"He doesn't like me." I blurt out.

Mary's eyebrows rise. "Okay, Clary." I can tell she's trying not to laugh. "Whatever you say."

"You're going to visit when Jon does, right?" I ask her, changing the topic. "I'd love to hang out with you more."

"Of course I will." Mary grins. "I don't have a younger sister, but I've always wanted one."

"I don't have an older sister." I say. "And sometimes I wish Jonathan _was _a girl."

Mary laughs.

* * *

**I brought back an OC of mine! :D if any of you read **_**Of Dungeons and Dragons, **_**then you'll know that Mary is Jon's wife. I couldn't resist putting her in here. And her bonding with Clary is just so fun to write.**

**We're getting closer, guys! I know I'm not showing much of the Michigan road trip, but it's not really a big part of the story. It's just the halfway point of the project.**

**A few points I want to talk about...**

**GUYS! WE ARE ON THE FIRST PAGE OF MOST REVIEWS FOR THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS! AHHH! AND 603 REVIEWS IN 14 CHAPTERS? holy crap!**

**Also; I do not have the next chapter prewritten. And tomorrow, all day (specifically from 8 to midnight), I will be in Disneyland, so there cannot be an update tomorrow. But there will be one on Tuesday. I apologise, but even if I did have the chapter prewritten, I would have no way to update anyway.**

**But thank you all so much for reading and reviewing so far! I am so happy that we're on the popular page. At this rate, we'll hopefully get to 1000 reviews soon? :D**


	16. sixteen

**Author's Note: Hey, guess what. I'm not dead.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

A few days is all it takes for Jonathan and Jace to become best friends—and for Mary and I to become the same.

I wake up on Wednesday—four days until we go home—with a note next to my face. It's from Jace, like I knew it was before I even recognised his handwriting.

_Clary,_

_Jon and Sebastian picked me up at nine. Mary's getting you at eleven. See you._

_Jace_

I have roughly forty-five minutes to get ready before Mary picks me up, so I quickly shower and get dressed. I manage to leave the hotel room at five until eleven, and by the time I get down to the lobby, Mary's car is waiting for me in the parking lot.

"You look like you just woke up," observes my brother's girlfriend as I get into the shotgun seat.

"Close." I reply. "Forty-five minutes ago."

She laughs, pulling out of the parking lot. "So have you gotten anywhere with Jace?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't like me."

"Jon says differently."

"Jon knows nothing." I say stubbornly.

Mary sighs. "Clary."

"What?"

"You're in denial," she informs me, taking a turn down a street.

"I am _not—_wait. Where are we going?" I blink.

"We're meeting the boys for lunch."

"Mary, it's eleven in the morning."

She smiles smugly at me. "You didn't even eat breakfast, did you?"

"I did _too_." I retort, but my growling stomach betrays me. Her smug smile grows wider. "Oh, okay, fine. Where's lunch?"

"A restaurant that Jon, Seb, and I like to go to off-campus." Mary answers. "It's a great place. You'll love it. Great food."

That sells it for me. I let Mary drive to the restaurant (which, as I see when we enter the restaurant's parking lot, is titled _Cheers_), and she pulls her car into the spot next to Jon's.

"Shall we?" asks Mary, smiling at me. We get out of her car and enter the restaurant.

I point to where I spot my brother's unmistakeable white-blond hair. "There he is," I tell Mary. He, Jace, and Sebastian are all sitting on one side of the booth. Jonathan waves at us.

"Hey, little sis." Jonathan says to me, climbing out of the booth to give me a hug and give Mary a kiss. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." I slide into the empty booth side with Mary. "Did you?"

"Of course I did." Jonathan grins at me.

"Morning, Clary," says Sebastian cheerfully.

I smile back at him. "Morning, Sebastian."

Jace only smiles at me.

"So what's New York like?" Sebastian asks me conversationally.

Before I can answer, Jonathan gives him a weird look. "Why are you asking? You used to live there, stupid. And you visit Aline often enough."

Sebastian blinks. "I forgot."

"Uh, it's nice." I say. "It's cold, though, and noisy. But very nice."

"When Jon goes home for the summer, I'll have to visit." Sebastian says decidedly, sitting back against the back of the booth.

"Sounds like a plan." I smile at him, and he smiles back.

When the waitress comes back, she takes our orders. Mary and Jonathan engage in a conversation, and Sebastian turns back to me.

"So do you have a boyfriend?" he asks me.

Jonathan's body goes rigid—and to my surprise, I almost imagine Jace's going rigid too. "Uh..." I say. And then I realise I don't like Sebastian's flirting. "No, but I have a husband."

Sebastian's eyes fly to my left hand and Jonathan chokes back a laugh, smiling at me. Even Jace looks amused.

"It's me," adds Jace. "I'm her husband."

Sebastian's mouth opens and closes, like a fish's. "Uh, okay," he says. "But I don't see rings. And you two are too young to be married."

"Agree to disagree," I reply, and Jace stifles a smile.

* * *

"I really had fun with you being here, Clary." Jonathan pulls me into a hug, squeezing me too tightly.

"You barely spoke to me. Looks like you'll have to come home sooner to make up for it."

Jonathan rolls his eyes, pulling back. "I'll miss you, little sister."

"I'll miss you too." I sigh. "Have fun in college."

"Have fun in high school." Jonathan replies. "I'll see you at your graduation."

"Alright." I hug him one last time and then let him turn to Jace.

"I'll miss you," says Mary to me, pulling me in for a hug. "And the minute Jonathan comes home I'm visiting and we have to hang out."

"Deal," I confirm, grinning at her. "I have a very close friend I think you'll like."

"Really?" Mary's eyes light up.

I laugh. I can see it now: Mary and Isabelle and I. I'm not sure if that would be catastrophic or the best thing ever. "Really. I'll see you soon, hopefully, Mary."

"Goodbye, Clary." Mary hugs me one last time and then she lets go of me, letting me walk with Jace through the terminal.

Neither of us speaks until we get past security. "I had fun this week." Jace comments, setting his bag down next to his seat while we wait to board the flight. "Thank you for letting me come with."

"Thank you for _coming _with," I say, giving him a smile. "I'm glad you had fun."

"Me, too." Jace agrees. "And now we're in the second half of the project."

"I know." I bite my lip. "It's insane."

"Did you think we would become friends?"

"Truthfully? Not really." I admit, wringing my hands together.

Jace chuckles. "I didn't think so either. But I'm glad we did."

"So am I."

But part of me really _isn't _glad that we're friends, because I want more. I want to be with Jace, not just be his friend. But there's no way that he likes me. I don't care what Mary says—when Jace looks at me, he looks at me the same way he looks at Isabelle. In a sisterly, best-friend kind of way. Me telling him that I like him would mess everything up.

"Clary." Jace jars me out of my thinking, tapping my shoulder. "We're boarding now."

I follow him through the boarding line and onto the airplane, my eyes reaching the back of his head.

Maybe it's for the better if I just...put my feelings away. Forget that I ever liked Jace.

That's for the best, right?

* * *

**GUYS GUYS GUYS I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY. I was in Disney on Monday, and Tuesday I didn't have **_**any **_**wifi, and Wednesday I was in Disney. But I'm finally updating today, and I'm so sorry for the long wait and the shorter chapter. Hopefully we'll get right back on track, right? D:**

**(Oh, yeah, and this chapter is all about Clary being stupid and starting to forget that she likes Jace because she's in denial sigh)**


	17. seventeen

**Author's Note: I am not going to lie: Whilst writing this chapter, I was listening to the full **_**How To Train Your Dragon **_**soundtrack. It's a fantastic movie with fantastic music, really. As well as the second one. Go check them out, if you have time and/or want to.**

**And I enjoy seeing how excited you lot are getting because it's the second half of the project. Let me tell you: I'm excited, too.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

"I'm driving from now on." I tell Jace during breakfast on the Monday after spring break. Isabelle and Simon are out of the house now, and Alec has found his own apartment, so it's just Maryse, Robert, Jace, Max, and I inside of the gigantic house.

Jace all-but chokes on his orange juice. "No way, Carrot," he says, setting down the glass.

"What?" I frown at him. "Why not?"

"Because I happen to like driving." Jace argues. "...And I miss my car."

I roll my eyes as I sling my backpack onto my back. "We can alternate, then. But I miss _my _car, too."

Jace pouts and I furiously push back the heating in my cheeks with everything I have. Since we've come back from Michigan, I've found myself liking Jace more and more and that isn't a good thing. Liking someone who you know will never like you back really sucks—and that's why I'm determined to squash the crush I have on Jace Lightwood.

"I'm driving, Jace." I tell him, grabbing my keys off of the hook, where they had been collecting dust for nearly three months. "Today, at least."

"Fine, bossy pants," grumbles the blond. "Let's go to school."

As I drive, I realise that I'm excited for Psychology so I can see Simon and Isabelle. Over the past nine days, I've missed them more than I thought I would have. And I didn't text either of them yet, because I figured they wanted some alone time first.

"So," says Jace. "When do you think Alec will tell my parents about him and Magnus?"

"I wasn't aware that they were an official thing yet," I reply, taking a left turn. "Are they?"

"They have been for a while now. I think Alec was trying to keep it a secret, but it didn't really work out, did it?"

Jace has a point there. I smile. "No, it didn't work out."

"You know what's strange?"

"What?"

"When I told him it was obvious that Magnus was crushing on him, he told me that I was one to talk." Jace frowns. When I glance over at him, he looks more lost in thought with himself than conversing with me. "What does that mean?"

"No idea," I reply casually, but my heart pounds. If Jace finds out that I have—_had—_a crush on him, who knows how awkward it would make the two of us.

Jace's eyes flash to my face. "Huh," he says.

I turn into the school parking lot, making sure not to look at Jace. I can still feel his eyes on me. "Well," I say quietly, "here we are."

"If you figure out what he meant by that, let me know," says Jace, clearing his throat and exiting the passenger side of my car.

"I will." I reply, but unless I want to ruin my friendship with him, I know that I won't.

* * *

"Clary!" exclaims Isabelle. She and Simon are inside of the Psychology classroom before I am, and before I can speak, she throws her arms around me in a hug. "I missed you! How was Michigan? Did you have fun? How's your brother? Did you tell him I said hi?"

"Hi, Isabelle." I pull away from her arms and laugh. "I missed you too. Michigan was cold, but it was fun, yes; Jon's fine and I _did _tell him you said hi."

"Good." she beams. "Simon's house is really nice, and so are his mom and sister."

"I know they are." I put my backpack on my desk. "Hey, Simon," I add to my best friend.

Simon flashes a grin at me and gives me a small hug. "Hi, Clary. How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks. And you?"

"Great, as well."

As soon as Jace walks in, Isabelle squeals all over again and launches into a frenzy of words directed at her brother. Simon's grin widens as he watches her.

"You really like her, don't you?" I ask him.

"I think I love her," responds Simon, and then he looks at me. "But what about you? And Jace? Did you two—"

"I don't like him like that, Simon," I interrupt him.

Simon's face falls. "What?"

"I don't." I repeat. I glance at Jace, whose facial expression is very animated as he speaks with his sister. "I never did."

"But you told me—"

"I thought I did, Simon, but I guess I was wrong." I shrug casually, avoiding eye contact with my best friend. If I look at someone in the eye, I can't lie to them. "Anyway, class is going to start soon. I'm going to sit down."

But Simon knows me as well as I do. "Clary," he says, using his hand to make sure I'm looking into his eyes. "Look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you do not like Jace Lightwood."

But before I can answer, Luke enters the room. "Take your seats," he says to us. "I've got a big thing I want to talk to all of you about."

Simon sighs. I sit in my seat, right in front of Luke's desk, and listen as he begins to speak.

"There's a new twist in the project." Luke grins at all of us. "Of course, with almost every marriage come children."

A collective groan from the class fills the room.

"Do you have any idea how many of us took Child Development, Mr. Graymark?" complains Will. "Those robot babies are absolutely nasty. I am _not _taking care of one of those."

"I didn't say anything about robot babies." Luke replies.

I sit up in my seat, flashing a glance at Jace. This is interesting.

"The foster home down the road has been getting a surplus of young children recently." Luke informs us. "They have nearly twenty children of one or younger. And no couples are looking to foster these babies."

Oh, no.

"And as you all know, these are foster babies, so they can only stay with families for a small amount of time. I have a friend who works at the foster home and she has agreed to let all of you take care of a child for a part of the project."

"Take care of _real _babies?" Simon demands.

Luke nods.

"We don't know _how _to take care of babies, with all due respect, Luke," I say, biting my lip.

"I've already notified all of your parents and they are more than willing to help out." Luke reassures all of us. "The church has offered to let us use their daycare while all of you are here in school during the day."

"So we're really doing this part of the project?" asks Kaelie.

Luke nods.

"When?" Jace inquires.

"It won't be for at least another month, and when it does start it will go until the end of the project." Luke looks at all of us. "Think of it as babysitting."

"Babysitting without pay," corrects Aline under her breath.

"As soon as I figure out the exact starting date, I will let all of you know," promises Luke. "And now that this has all been discussed, the rest of the hour is yours."

As soon as he says this, Jace slides into the empty seat next to mine. "Are you ready to become a mother?" he asks me teasingly.

I roll my eyes at him, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach. "Ha-ha," I say sarcastically. "Are _you _ready to become a father?"

Jace rolls his eyes and sits back. "What do you think about that whole thing? Adding a baby to the equation?"

"I think it's complicated, but it makes the project more realistic." I respond, biting my lip. "I mean, all we're doing is being married, but we don't _do _anything that a couple does. Most of these partners don't."

"True." Jace agrees. "But a _baby _is supposed to make it more realistic? How does that work? The baby will cry all night."

"Only newborns do that." I say.

"Still."

"I guess." I sigh. "But we can only wait and see how this plays out."

"We'll have to discuss baby names, you know."

"Oh, shut it."

* * *

**So the project just got a little more interesting...**

**Also, I am currently on chapter thirteen of the Jace companion! Let me know when you lot will want it...**


	18. eighteen

**Author's Note: So whilst writing chapter seventeen, I was listening to the HTTYD soundtrack. And now whilst writing this, chapter eighteen, I'm listening to the HTTYD2 soundtrack. I may or may not be very obsessed with the Dragon franchise.**

**I also have a ton of things to talk about at the bottom of this. So please read the AN.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

Isabelle takes me shopping.

It is a first in my life, because I never shop. I hate shopping. I loathe it with a passion. Even _Simon _likes shopping more than I like it. And that is seriously saying something.

"I don't see why you needed me here," I call from the other side of the dressing room. Isabelle is inside of the dressing room, trying on everything from tube tops to dresses to jeans to heels. I'm only there as a spectator—which I'm not complaining about. I'd rather give fashion advice than be _getting _the advice.

"I need a second opinion." Isabelle all-but whines. She pulls open the dressing room door and poses in the doorframe. "If I went shopping by myself, I would buy the entire mall."

"Yes to the skirt, no to the shirt," I say, nodding at her outfit. And then I ask: "But why me? Don't you normally take Alec? Or even Jace? Why not Simon?"

"Simon is sick." Isabelle says matter-of-factly. "So he can't leave the house. Jace declined. Alec's with Magnus."

"So I was the last resort?"

"Naturally."

"Hey, I don't blame you. I'm awful at fashion advice."

Isabelle shuts the door again, and a minute later she calls, "I can clearly tell. This skirt is _awful_. Why did I ever try it on?"

"But if I know you at all, I'm willing to bet that you brought me here with another motive other than just a fashion advice girl." I add thoughtfully, staring at the dressing room door.

Isabelle pulls the door open just a crack so she can poke her head out and stare at me. "What gives you that idea?"

"You're Isabelle. And I also know for a fact that Alec and Jace are spending the day with Max, and that Simon is at his Comic-Con convention thing."

"Boo." she sticks her tongue out at me and shuts the dressing room door again. "Okay, fine. I've brought you here for an ulterior motive."

"But why to the _mall, _of all places?"

"Because there are witnesses." Isabelle says firmly.

Uh oh. Whatever she's planning on doing with me must be bad if she needs witnesses. "Isabelle..." I say warningly.

"It's nothing big!" Isabelle reassures me from behind the door. "I'm not changing you or anything. I just want to talk to you and shop at the same time."

I roll my eyes and sit back in my chair. "You're _so _lucky there are witnesses."

She audibly gulps. "I'm too pretty to die!"

"Where'd you hear that?" I quip.

"Clary!" Isabelle makes a noise.

I laugh. "I'm _kidding, _Izzy. You're beautiful."

Isabelle exits the dressing room in her own clothes and nothing in her arms. "Thanks, Clary." she grins at me. "And so are you."

"Aren't you gonna buy any of that?" I eye the mass of clothes she left inside of the dressing room.

She shakes her head. "Oh, Clary. You really don't know anything about shopping."

Isabelle laces her arm through mine and we walk out of the store. "So what do you think about the baby thing?" she asks.

"I don't think it's legal." I say.

She waves a hand. "Nonsense. If it were illegal, Mr. Graymark wouldn't be doing it. Besides, _I _think it's wonderful. It's like practice for when we're older."

"Maybe for you," I say. "I plan to live a long, healthy life with myself and my six cats."

Isabelle pouts at me. "You forgot about me."

"Will I even know you then?"

"_Duh. _We'll be sister-in-laws!"

I raise my eyebrows at her. "Isabelle, Simon's not my brother."

Isabelle groans. "I mean _Jace_. You'll be married to _my _brother Jace."

"I—_what?" _I stop dead in my tracks, gaping at her.

"It's super obvious that you like him." Isabelle tugs me along by my arm, completely oblivious to my expression. "And he totally likes you. It'll only be a matter of time before you two are a couple."

"I don't like Jace." I protest, lying straight through my teeth. Isabelle shoots me a disbelieving gaze. "What?"

"You're a terrible liar, Clary." Isabelle chides. Her nose wrinkles. "And Simon was right about that eye thing. You can't even lie to my face."

"I can too!" I argue.

"Then look into my eyes and tell me you don't like my brother."

But I know I can't. I groan out loud. "Isabelle."

"Clary." she mimics, putting her hands on her hips. "Why are you denying it?"

"Because it's the best thing to do." I admit softly.

Isabelle groans. "No, you idiot, you never hide your feelings!"

"You do if the person you have feelings for doesn't like you back!"

"Jace _does _like you back!"

"You don't know that!"

"Of course I know that, Clary." Isabelle frowns. "He's my brother. You don't think he keeps that stuff from me, do you?"

"My brother keeps that stuff from me." I argue.

"Well, your brother and mine are very different."

I sigh, taking a seat on the bench beside us. "Isabelle...he doesn't like me. There's no way he could ever like me. We used to hate each other, remember?"

"I do remember that." Isabelle takes a seat beside me. "You used to hate him. But now you like him."

"I don't _want _to like him."

"Why not? Because you don't think Jace likes you the way you want him to? That boy is _falling in love _with you, Clary. I don't know how you can't see it—or why you can't believe it."

Every bone in my body screams to believe her, but my mind refuses to believe it. Isabelle stares at me expectantly, like she's waiting for me to do something I most likely won't.

"We should get moving if you want to keep shopping." I say. Isabelle's expression falls as I stand up, offering her a hand.

This discussion of Jace 'liking' me is over, I decide as we walk to the next store. I'm sick of people telling me that he does, and I'm sick of my mind telling me that he doesn't.

From now on, I will only look at and think of Jace Lightwood as nothing more but a friend. I've made up my mind.

And I won't change it.

* * *

**Seriously Clary what is wrong with u**

**Okay, first of all, I just wanted to apologise for the super late update. It's like two in the morning where I live, and I just got home after a late five hour flight. But here I am with chapter eighteen! Which means that chapter nineteen won't come until Monday at the earliest, Tuesday at the latest. Unless I can't pretype the chapter.**

**The song I listened to this entire chapter is called **_**For the Dancing and the Dreaming. **_**It's on the How To Train Your Dragon 2 soundtrack—give it a listen. It's a very beautiful song.**

**we are on the popular page for most reviews! number 16 - with 771 in 17 chapters. that's freaking amazing, guys. i want to thank every single one of you for reading and reviewing. keep doing your thang ;-)**

**Another thing: if I were to post a Tangled or a How To Train Your Dragon oneshot, would y'all read them? **

**MOST IMPORTANT: I have a tumblr! The link is on my fanfiction profile, or you can search thaliamgrace on tumblr for me! If you follow me and/or ask me questions, I may or may not give you hints on future chapters... And I'll answer any and every ask you give me. It's a really nice way to be updated on what I'm doing when I'm not updating - like if I don't have time to update, the first people to know will be the people who follow me on tumblr.**


	19. nineteen

**Author's Note: who else hates writer's block? **

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

When I wake up in the morning, Jace's arm is around me.

It had become a normal, casual thing—we slept together in the same bed, doing nothing _but _sleeping. When Jace and I had gone to Michigan, we each slept in our own separate beds. And now the heat of his body is searing against the chill of mine, and it takes everything I have to get out of bed and escape his arms.

The butterflies in my stomach unwillingly remind me that, no matter what I think, I still have feelings for Jace Lightwood.

Once I'm out of Jace's arms, I pull open the door to his bedroom quietly and slowly. He snores softly—I'll have to tease him about snoring later—and rolls onto his back, and I shut the door behind me as I leave.

"Good morning, Clary!"

I jump at the prepubescent boy voice near my elbow. "Jeez, Max!" I breathe, and the boy's grin widens at me. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "My siblings are used to me sneaking up on them."

Once I regain my breath, I manage to give him a grin. "Hey, I didn't have a heart attack. No worries. What's up?"

"I've been waiting for one of you to get up." Max admits.

"Why?"

"Dad said I could get more comic books if I could get a ride," he says, bouncing on the heels of his feet. In his hand is a twenty-dollar bill. "Would you be willing to drive me?"

What else do I have to do today? It's Sunday. "Sure, Max." I say. "Just give me half an hour to change and grab breakfast and then we can go, okay?"

Max throws his arms around me in a hug and then pulls away, scrambling down the hallway.

* * *

"Are you even old enough to _ride _shotgun?" I demand as Max climbs into the seat beside me.

"Nope!" says Max cheerfully, buckling his seatbelt. "Let's go."

"Craziness must be a Lightwood trait." I grumble to myself, under my breath, putting my car in reverse and backing out of the garage.

"It is." Max agrees.

Man, does this kid have hawk hearing or something? "Well, good," I say, nearly sarcastically, pulling out into the main road. "So what comic books are we getting today?"

"More X-Menstuff." Max grins at me.

"Did I start a new obsession?"

"I wouldn't call it _obsession..._I'm just dedicated."

"Sure." I roll my eyes.

Max laughs. He sounds more like an eighteen-year-old boy instead of a ten-year-old. "So how are you and Jace?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...it's obvious the two of you like each other."

Of _course. _"Is every member of your family dead set on thinking that Jace and I are together?"

"Isabelle started it."

I groan. "Of course she did."

"But you like Jace, don't you?"

I sigh.

"Oh, _I _get it. You don't want to talk about it." Max realises. "Okay, fine. I'll shut up about it."

"Max, when did you become so...mature for your age?"

"It helps when your siblings are eight years older than you are."

"I guess it does." I mutter.

I pull into the parking lot of the comic store, and Max is basically bouncing with excitement as I put my car in park.

"How many comic books can twenty bucks buy you?"

"Probably one," says Max, shrugging casually. But he looks kind of unhappy. "Dad didn't remember how much they were."

"And you didn't ask for more?"

"I felt selfish." he admits.

I watch his expression fall ever-so-slightly, and quickly decide, pulling out my wallet. "Okay. Go in there and pick out the books you want, and I'll pay for whichever ones you don't have the money for."

Max blinks at me. "What?"

"You heard me." I say to him. "Go pick out four or five books. I'll pay for the ones that you can't."

"I can't let you do that, Clary."

"So what? My parents have loads of money. They're feeling guilty about their divorce. I've got the money, Max. And I've bought you comic books before."

"That was for my _birthday." _Max points out. He crosses his arms over his chest and attempts to glare at me.

"Think of this as a...early half-birthday present."

Max pushes at my wallet. "I don't want you to buy stuff for me. I feel like I'm taking your money."

"You're only ten years _old, _Max. How can you even _feel _emotions like that?" I stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Craziness isn't the only Lightwood trait."

I sigh. "Look, Max, I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm buying you comic books and that's that."

"Fine." Max grumbles. "Let's just buy them and get it over with."

But I can see the bounce in his step as we enter the comic book store, and the smile that is too large for his face as we leave it.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?"

Jace sets his backpack on the floor next to mine in the Lightwood library. "If you're working on Hodge's English homework, then I totally need help with it."

"Call Simon," I say, sitting back and sighing. "This Shakespearean unit is never-ending. I'm basically cheating my way through it. If Simon weren't my best friend, I would be failing English right now."

"Thank goodness for nerds, eh?" comments Jace, and I laugh. "But maybe if we work together, we can get the right answers."

"Maybe." I push my worksheet over so it's right next to his. "Oh, jeez. You haven't even started it yet."

"I normally don't start my English homework until Psychology." Jace tells me. "So this is a new thing."

"Well, you won't be just copying off my work." I retort. "You'll be doing as much work as I will be, mister."

"Okay, okay, bossy pants." he holds his hands up.

"I am not _bossy!"_

"Yes you are."

"I am not."

"You are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Provide me with one scenario in which I have _ever _been bossy." I glare at him.

Jace stares at me right back. "Right now."

"You're so _stubborn."_

"Thank you." he grins at me. "It's a Lightwood family trait."

"Well, I'll add that to the list." I grumble under my breath.

Jace doesn't hear what I say, but he comments, "You know, whenever I think of Shakespeare, I always think of _The Avengers."_

"Oh?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "Why?"

"When Iron Man and Thor are in the woods—Stark's 'Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?' and 'Shakespeare in the park' quotes get me every time."

"Are Marvel movies all you ever think about?"

"No. Occasionally I think about video games and food."

I roll my eyes. "Boys."

"Hey!" Jace sounds offended, but when I look at him he's grinning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." I answer. I pick up my pencil and start to answer another question on my worksheet.

"No way! That didn't mean nothing."

"Get your homework done, Jace," I reply.

He snorts, but picks up his pencil. "Girls." he grumbles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demand.

Jace's smile is sarcastic. "Nothing," he mimics.

One of these days, I am _so _going to kill Jace Lightwood.

* * *

**Soooo...Clary and Jace had a little banter-flirting, and Max and Clary had some totally sibling-like bonding!**

**Next chapter starts getting good, guys. And like I said next chapter—go check out my tumblr! I've already answered questions about the next few chapters on there. (and one of them may or may not have been when Clace kisses ;-).) the link is on my profile!**


	20. twenty

**Author's Note: so this chapter is where the drama starts, but there are a few trigger warnings, such as overdose and attempt of suicide.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

The next week flies by. There is an English test, a food fight in the cafeteria, and even a fight between cheerleaders in the hallway. _That _had been a sight to see.

When Jace drives him and me to his house that Friday afternoon, there's already another car in the driveway. It looks familiar, but I can't place its owner. So I ask, "Whose car is that?"

I look over at Jace, and his expression is grim, his mouth set in a hard line. "That's Magnus's car," he answers, putting the car in park. He swears under his breath as he gets out of the driver's seat. "C'mon, Clary."

I'm all-too familiar with Maryse's disapproval about Alec. Maryse doesn't approve of Alec being gay—which she calls a 'lifestyle'—, and she isn't fond of Magnus. If it were up to Maryse, she would never have Magnus step foot inside of the Lightwood home. But Robert accepts his son, and although Maryse doesn't, she still loves Alec. So she puts up with it.

But if _Magnus's _car is here, that must mean something is going on. It's not really a secret that Alec and Magnus are in a relationship, but Maryse and Robert have no idea. Alec and Magnus have...kept away from each other when in Alec's parents' presence, but around the rest of us they don't really care.

Jace holds the door open for me and shuts it when we get inside. It's eerily quiet in the kitchen, and when we peer inside, nobody is there.

"Where are they?" Jace mutters to himself.

"Try the living room," I suggest.

The living room in the Lightwood home is a whole separate room entirely—it has doors to block it off. The doors are all-but soundproof, and seeing as nobody is in the main rooms, the living room and the library are our best bets right now.

Jace whips open the doors to the living room and frowns. "They're not here, either."

And that's when the yelling starts.

At first, I can't make out who is yelling or what they're saying, but as Jace and I nearly sprint to our only option left—the library—, I can tell that it's Maryse yelling.

"How _could you?!" _

Maryse is on her feet, staring down at her son, whose hand is around Magnus's. "This lifestyle—this _choice _you've made isn't something that is natural, Alexander!"

"It's not a _choice_, Mom." Alec's voice is small. "It's who I am. I didn't _choose _this."

"Like hell you didn't!" Maryse snaps at him. "You're a disgrace to our family by choosing to be this way."

"Mrs. Lightwood, with all due respect—" starts Magnus.

"And _you!" _Maryse's yelling turns to Alec's boyfriend. I look at Jace—he looks about ready to punch something. "You lead him on! You helped him—helped him _think _that it's okay for him to be gay! It's not!"

"Maryse." Robert says softly. "That's enough."

"How are you okay with this?" Maryse demands of him.

"Because he's my son and I love him, no matter what he does or is." Robert stands up too.

Maryse only shakes her head. "I've never been more disappointed in my entire life," she says, her voice hushed. She stares at Alec. Then she pushes past Robert and storms out of the library. A second later, the front door slams.

Robert's eyes widen. "Maryse!" he calls out, scrambling out of the library.

I watch Alec. His expression is wide-eyed, and he looks shocked. Magnus looks guilty. Neither of them moves.

"Shit." Jace swears.

"I should go." Magnus bites his lip, standing up. "I'll talk to you later," he adds to Alec, and then exits the room.

"I'm going to go after my parents." Jace taps my wrist to get my attention. "I don't think it's best for you to be inside of the house right now."

I understand. "Okay." I say.

"Could you...could you call Isabelle and let her know what happened?" he asks, his voice low. His golden eyes are shining with worry.

I nod.

"Thank you." Jace exhales, giving me a short hug. He leaves a second later.

Alec is still on the couch, looking shocked, when I leave the room. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Isabelle's number.

"Clary?" Isabelle answers on the second ring. "Hi! How are you?"

"Isabelle, I've got to tell you something." I say, entering Jace's bedroom and shutting the door behind me.

"What is it?"

After I quickly explain what just happened, Isabelle takes a minute to digest it all. She exhales, and then says, "Clary, I'll be right back. Give me a couple of minutes."

"Okay." I say quietly, taking a seat on Jace's bed. I hear Isabelle set down the phone and then there's muffled noises for the next minute or two.

Isabelle picks up the phone again. "Clary? You still here?"

"Yup." I say.

"Okay. Good." Isabelle sighs. "I think it's best if you and Max come and stay with us for the weekend. I talked to Simon and his mom and they both agree."

I nod. "Alright, Izzy. I'll go tell Max and then I'll text you when we're on our way, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"I'll talk to you later, then. Bye."

"Bye, Clary," says Isabelle, and then she hangs up.

I grab my duffel bag and throw in my clothes. I've got stuff at Simon's like a toothbrush, so I don't need to worry about that.

Across from Jace's room is Max's, so I exit Jace's room and go to knock on Max's sticker-covered door. "Max, can I come in?" I ask him.

"Sure." Max calls through the door.

After I step inside, I shut the door. "Hey." I say. "Pack a backpack."

"Why?" he frowns.

"Isabelle invited us to stay at Simon's for the weekend." I inform him. It's not a lie, but it's not the entire truth.

"Is Jace coming?" Max inquires, but he grabs a backpack and shoves pyjamas inside of it, along with a couple other pairs of clothes.

"No." I say. "He's not cool enough."

Max giggles, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "Okay. Let's go."

I quickly move my stuff around inside of my bag to check that I have everything—but something's missing. "Oh, crap. I'll be right back—I left my phone charger inside of Jace's bathroom."

The ten-year-old boy nods as I set my duffel bag down, exiting his bedroom. But something's odd. I don't remember shutting Jace's bedroom door when I left it...

And Jace's bathroom door is _never _shut, unless someone is inside of it. And Jace and his parents aren't back. Nobody other than Max and I are in the house.

Except for...Alec?

I knock on Jace's bathroom door. "Alec?" I call. "Are you in there?"

There's no answer, so I turn the doorknob and step inside.

What I see there is nothing like I expected.

Alec is slumped against the side of the bathtub and his eyes are closed. In one of his hands is a prescription bottle—that is empty.

"Oh, _no," _I breathe, crouching down beside him. I snatch up the empty bottle from his hand and inspect the label.

The name on the bottle says Maryse Lightwood. I turn the bottle a little more—these are Digoxin pills.

What kind of pills are these? I rack my brain, trying to think if the name rings a bell. And then the memory hits me like a truck.

_I was about ten, at my grandmother's home, and inside of her bathroom. She had one of those mirror cabinets in her bathroom, and I was curious, so I opened it up and grabbed the first bottle of pills I saw. _

_The moment they were in my hand, my mother snatched them out. "Don't touch Grandma's pills, Clary," Mom ordered, placing the pills back inside of the cabinet. "Some of these are very dangerous."_

"_What are these?" I asked, frowning at the bottle._

"_It's called Digoxin." she answered._

"_What are they used for?"_

"_Grandma has heart problems, sweetie, and these help slow down her heart rate." Mom informed me, leading me out of the bathroom. "If you take too many at once, you can hurt yourself very badly. Promise me you won't look through Grandma's pills again."_

_I nodded as she shut the door behind us. "Okay, Mom."_

Alec must have overdosed. I pull my phone out of my pocket, and with shaking hands, I dial 911, and put it on speaker.

The only thing I can do while I wait is try to get some of the pills out of Alec.

Whoever is on the other line answers me. "Nine-one-one; what's your emergency?"

"My name is Clary." I answer. I'm surprised to find my voice shaky. "I just found a friend of mine unconscious. He's overdosed on pills."

"Can you tell us what kind of pills, Clary?"

"Digoxin."

It's gross, but I manage to put two fingers inside of Alec's mouth, trying to gag him and get him to throw up what I can of the pills. "I'm trying to make him throw some of them up," I add.

"Okay, Clary, we're going to need your location. What's the address of where you currently are?"

I report the Lightwoods' address, and then the phone call ends. Alec's body heaves, and puke flows over my fingers and onto his shirt and my arm. He coughs once.

The next half an hour flies by. The paramedics burst into Jace's bathroom and lift Alec's unconscious body. Max's expression is horrified as he watches them bring his older brother out of Jace's bathroom.

"Come on, Max," I tell him, pocketing my phone. "We're riding with them in the ambulance."

"Is Alec gonna be okay?" Max whimpers, looking up at me. He grips my hand—the hand that was previously covered in Alec's puke.

"Of course he is, Max." I answer him, but as we climb into the ambulance and as I watch them try and help Alec the best they can until we get to the hospital, I'm not sure.

* * *

**Please don't kill me...**


	21. twenty one

**Author's Note: Well, I'm glad to know that I wasn't brutally murdered from last chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

The hospital is the one to contact Maryse and Robert and inform them of what happened.

"Isabelle?" I ask the minute she answers the phone. "Isabelle, I need you to come to the hospital _now. _Bring Simon or don't."

"What's going on?" Isabelle sounds confused. "Clary, are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine." I answer. Max is gripping my hand. He and I are waiting in the waiting room while they rush Alec to the ER. "I'll explain everything once you get here. And call Magnus—tell him to come, too."

"Uh...okay." says Isabelle. I hang up a second later without saying goodbye.

"Jace will be with your parents, right?" I look down at Max, who nods eagerly. "Good. Then I don't need to call him."

"Clary, I'm scared." Max says quietly, chewing on his lower lip.

"Alec is gonna be okay, Max." I squeeze his hand.

Max takes a seat in one of the hospital chairs. He lets go of my hand, and when he does, I realise that it's shaking. He's more scared than he's letting on.

I take a seat next to him. "I promise." I add to him softly. The little boy stares at his shaking hands and doesn't answer.

Time goes by slowly. I don't know how long it feels like while Max and I sit there, waiting for someone familiar to rush into the hospital.

"Clary!" calls Isabelle.

I turn. She's rushing into the hospital with Simon and Magnus behind her, her eyes very wide and very confused. "What the _hell _is going on here?" she demands, not even caring to watch her mouth around Max. I don't blame her.

"It's Alec." I blurt out, scrambling up from my chair. Max grips my hand again when I speak. I watch each expression as I say it—Magnus horrified, Isabelle pale, and Simon worried. "He...he tried to kill himself."

Isabelle's eyes immediately fill with tears. The shock is written into her face and Simon grabs her hand, biting his lip. Simon then looks at me, concerned.

Magnus's expression is the most heartbreaking of all. I can _see _the guilt building up in his eyes, making his mouth turn into something more gut-wrenching than a frown. I look away and force myself to continue speaking.

"After...after Maryse ran out, he...he went into Jace's bathroom." I struggle with the words. Max's hand tightens on mine. I forgot that he didn't know the story, either. It was just me with Alec in that bathroom. "He had Digoxin. I don't know how many he took—but the bottle was empty when I found him."

"Digoxin slows down heart rate." Isabelle whispers. Her eyes widen.

"So I...I called nine-one-one." I swallow, feeling glad that Max is holding onto me. "And while I spoke to them and told them where I was and what had happened, I put two fingers in Alec's mouth and tried to choke up some of the pills. It worked. I don't know how much it helped, though. Alec is in the ER now. So here we are—waiting."

"Oh, my _God." _Isabelle breathes. She sinks into the chair next to me and Simon sinks with her. She needs him. She leans into his side and shuts her eyes as the tears fall, streaking down her face.

Magnus is still staring right at me. "So you found him." he says slowly, processing the words.

I nod. "I found him."

"Thank you." I note the break in Magnus's voice. "Thank you, Clary."

"Of course." I answer. I sit back down again and exhale.

Isabelle and Simon speak to each other in hushed tones; Simon's calming, Isabelle's hysteric. Max puts his other hand in his sister's. Magnus sits across from us, staring at the floor. He looks as guilty as can be, and I know what he's thinking.

"Hey." I call across to him softly. His head snaps up. His eyes are filled with tears. "It's not your fault, Magnus."

Magnus gives me a forced smile and looks back at the floor.

"Where's Jace?" Max asks me. "And my parents?"

"Mom and Dad don't _deserve _to be here." Isabelle snaps at her little brother, her eyes bloodshot and still shedding tears.

"Robert did nothing wrong." I tell Isabelle gently.

"Of course he did." Isabelle grumbles, half to herself. "He _married _her."

I remember feeling what I thought was hate for my mother when I found out about her and Luke. I hadn't wanted to speak with her—and I still have yet to fully talk to her about it. But right now, staring at Isabelle's expression and hearing the tone of her voice, I realise now that I know nothing of anything remotely close to hatred against my mother.

The hospital door opens and Jace scrambles in, his eyes wide and his chest heaving. He looks absolutely _freaked—_and I remember that he was with Maryse and Robert when they got the call from the hospital.

Jace looks as terrible as Magnus, with the whole guilt-ridden expression. "Where is he?" he demands.

"He's in the ER." Isabelle answers. "They're doing everything they can, Jace."

"It probably isn't enough." Jace grits his teeth. "_God. _I want to kill something."

Isabelle has no hesitation in agreeing with her twin brother.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Max speaks up.

Jace's expression softens a bit when he hears the frantic tone of his youngest brother. "They're on their way." he rubs the back of his neck. "They'll be here shortly."

I would make a comment about him needing a restraint when Maryse walks in, but I know that this is no time for joking. Max squeezes my hand and I relax in my chair.

Not once does Jace look at me—which I don't actually mind. I feel out of place here. Isabelle, Jace, and Max are Alec's siblings; Magnus is Alec's boyfriend; and Simon is here for Isabelle, to support her. And he'll most likely _be _Alec's brother-in-law in the future. So what am I doing here?

Magnus's eyes are on me once again, and the hope in them reminds me. I _saved _Alec. If I hadn't remembered about my phone charger, I wouldn't have gotten to Alec. And I know for sure that he would be dead if I hadn't.

"Hey, Clary," says Simon. His voice is low as he leaves the seat beside Isabelle and bends down near me. "Jon and Alec were best friends. You should give your brother a call."

Just as Simon gets up, Jace takes his seat. I feel Max let go of my hand and slip closer to his siblings. Magnus even joins them.

"Right." I say. I stand up. "You'll come with me, right?"

Simon's nodding before I even finish talking. We slip out of the waiting room unnoticed—giving the four people closest to Alec their time together.

"It sucks." I blurt out suddenly, chewing on my lower lip. "It sucks not _knowing _what's happening and it sucks not being able to _do _anything."

"I know." Simon exhales. He reaches over and closes his hand around mine for support. "I was serious about you calling Jonathan, though. He'd like to know."

"Right." I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial my brother's phone number, biting my lip. Simon and I take a seat in the other waiting room on one of the benches.

"Hello?" answers my brother.

"Hey, Jon." I exhale.

"Hi, Clary! What's up?"

"Um, actually, I've got some bad news."

Jonathan pauses. "What is it?"

"It's about Alec." I say slowly. Every time I retell the story it hurts me even more, but I manage to get out the basics to my brother. Jonathan is silent on the other line as I add, "I just...I just thought you'd like to know. He's in the ER right now."

"I'm coming home to visit." Jonathan says suddenly.

I blink. I hadn't been expecting him to say that.

"Mary and I'll come. It'll be fun. She's dying to see you again, anyway." Jonathan informs me, and then he winces. So do I. "Ah, bad choice of words."

"It's okay." I exhale. "I wish I could offer you a room at the Lightwoods', but I don't even know if I'll be staying there once Alec goes home."

"We can find a place to crash." Jon reassures. "Maybe I'll call Dad."

"All right. Let me know when you're in town. I'll see you soon, then."

We say our goodbyes and then I hang up.

Simon watches as I put my phone in my pocket. "So how is the project going for you?" he asks me.

I sigh. "It's going."

"Uh oh."

"Simon, I don't know what to _do."_

"About what?"

"About the whole thing, I'm conflicted about whether I want to like Jace or not, and I'm conflicted about whether he likes me or not, and about what I should do if he _does _like me, and what I should do if he _doesn't—"_

Simon cuts me off with a low whistle. "Do all girls have this many problems when it comes to boys they like?"

"Don't _make _me punch you, Lewis."

Simon gives me a half-sheepish grin in reply.

Something catches my eye. The nurse who told Max and me that we would be informed of Alec's condition when he got out of his surgery walks toward the waiting room we were previously in. The only people in that waiting room are three of the Lightwood siblings and Magnus.

"Hey." I nudge Simon's side. "We should head back. I want to hear what the nurse is saying."

"All right." Simon stands up and offers me a hand. We walk back to the waiting room just as the nurse enters.

"Okay...which one of you made the call?" the nurse looks at each one of us in turn.

"Uh." I say, slowly raising my hand. "That would be me."

"So you're Clary?"

"Yeah."

The nurse takes a deep breath and my heart squeezes. "Well, Clary, you saved that young man's life."

One of us inhales sharply. I don't look to see who it is.

"When you called, you reported that you tried to puke up some of the pills by yourself—is that correct?" she asks me.

I nod slowly.

"If you hadn't done that—or if you had gotten to him any later—, Alec would not have survived."

My head spins. If I had just been even a _minute _late, or if I hadn't thought of trying to make Alec puke up the pills...

"He's stable." the nurse adds. "All levels are normal, and we've gotten all of the remnants of the pills out before they reached his digestive system. His room is the last one down that hall. You can see him anywhere from now until visiting hours close at ten."

She leaves.

"Clary." Isabelle wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "You saved Alec's life. How can I thank you?"

"You don't have to." I hug her back. "I'm just glad he's okay."

Max's beam is enough to melt my heart. "You kept your promise." he whispers, his voice so happy that it nearly brings me to tears. He throws his long arms around me and hugs me.

Even Magnus hugs me. "Thank you." he whispers in my ear.

When I look at Jace, I realise that he must have been the one to inhale sharply—because he's looking straight at me with wide eyes.

"You were the one who found Alec?" he asks me.

I nod.

"I—" starts Jace, but he's interrupted.

Because at that very moment, Maryse and Robert rush into the waiting room.

* * *

**I am really, **_**really **_**sunburnt. And it freaking **_**hurts.**_


	22. twenty two

**Author's Note: I think you will _all _like this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

"Where is he?" demands Maryse. "Where's Alec? Is he okay?"

"_You _don't get to know." Isabelle all-but snarls at her mother. "Why should you care?"

Maryse's eyes widen, giving her more of a shocked expression than concerned. "Isabelle, Alec is my son. Of course I care."

"Really?" Isabelle puts her hands on her hips, glaring at Maryse. "You're the reason he tried to _kill _himself!"

"Izzy." Jace says softly. He squeezes her shoulder. "Isabelle, let it go for now."

Maryse sinks into a hospital chair, her face in her hands. I watch her, and even I have a bit of loathing for her. Robert looks like he's torn between his daughter and his wife, so instead he sits next to Max. The ten-year-old nearly crawls into his father's lap and stays there, like a young child.

"The nurse said we could see Alec." I clear my throat, pointing out what the nurse had said. "So...who wants to go first?"

"Magnus." Isabelle replies immediately. "And you."

I blink. "Me?"

"He wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," she informs me. "So, yes, you."

"_You're _his family." I reply. "And he probably isn't even awake. So you go."

Isabelle bites her lip. Simon leans forward and murmurs something in her ear. It must change her mind, because she sighs and leaves the waiting room with Simon and Magnus behind her.

Robert touches my arm gently to get my attention. When I look at him, his eyes are full of tears. "Thank you." he says softly. "For saving my son."

"Of course." I reply. He smiles gratefully and buries his face in Max's dark hair.

Maryse still remains in her chair across from us, her face still buried in her hands. Her shoulders shake visibly every few seconds, but she makes no sound. I can't even imagine how awful she must feel about what has happened.

"Hey, Clary?" Jace murmurs softly. "Can I speak to you?"

My stomach flips. "Uh, okay." I say.

Jace surprises me by taking my hand, leading me out of the waiting room and into the same room where Simon and I were just talking. He doesn't let go of my hand when he stops me from walking any further.

"You saved my brother." he says quietly. His tawny eyes search mine.

I nod, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Jace pleads. His voice is barely above a whisper. "Please."

"I..." I'm completely aware of his hand in mine, and how butterflies are flying in my stomach and how my heart is pounding. This is no time for me to be feeling giddy. "After you ran out after your parents, I called Isabelle and told her what happened—about the yelling. She suggested that Max and I stay at Simon's for the weekend, until things cooled down."

"And what did you say to her?"

"I said okay. Then I went into your room and put together a bag."

Jace's golden eyebrows knit together. "Where did you find Alec?"

"I'm getting to that." I say gently. His hand is sweaty in mine. "After I packed my bag, I left your room and went into Max's room to tell him to pack a backpack. But before we left, I remember that I forgot my phone charger."

"Your phone charger is...in my bathroom." Jace realises, his eyes growing wide. "Alec was..."

"So when I went back to your room, I realised that the door was shut. And I hadn't shut the door when I left it. But I stepped inside and your bathroom door was closed, too. I thought that was odd, so I opened it, and...and Alec was on the floor." I swallow. "He had an empty bottle of pills in his hand."

Jace's eyes close.

"They were Digoxin pills." I inform him. "They—"

"Slow down your heart rate." Jace finishes. "Mom has heart problems." His tone is faint.

I nod. "I dialled nine-one-one and put my phone on speaker. And then...I tried to make Alec throw up some of the pills."

"The nurse said that you did." Jace recalls. "How?"

"I put two fingers in his mouth and tried to put enough pressure on the back of his throat that he would puke."

"And he did."

"Yes, he did."

"The nurse said you saved him. If it weren't for you..."

But neither of us finishes what he has to say. The unspoken words hang in the air, and I watch Jace swallow. His eyes are still closed.

His hand is still on mine. Jace inhales slowly. He lets out that breath and opens his eyes, and immediately they find mine.

"I can never thank you enough." he says honestly. "Clary, I..."

"You don't have to thank me." I reassure him. I look directly at his eyes. "I would do it again in a heartbeat, Jace."

"I love you." he blurts out.

My body goes still. I think my heart stops, too. "What?"

"I love you." Jace repeats. "And...and I'm _not _just saying that because you saved my brother and I think that I love you. I really, _really _love you. I know I do."

The first thing that I think of is Isabelle saying smugly, "I told you so."

But the second thing I think of is that this whole time he _must _have liked me back. I watch his eyes, which are searching mine, and then I kiss him.

How long have I liked Jace? I can't remember. Do I love him? There is no even _thinking _about it. But I can't force the words from my throat.

Jace kisses me back. His mouth is warm and his hands, which slide around my waist, are gentle. This is something that I've wanted but never imagined would happen.

I don't know who pulls away first, but I do know that I am out of breath when we do.

"I also realise how bad of timing this is." he gives me a dry smile. "And like I said earlier, I'm not just telling you that I love you because you saved Alec."

"So you...you love me." I say. I still sound out of breath.

Jace nods.

"This whole time I thought you only liked me as a friend." I admit, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.

He bites his lip to try and stifle his smile. "This whole time _I _thought you only liked me as a friend."

"You're kidding." I cover my mouth.

"I'm as serious as I can be."

A laugh escapes my lips. "We must be daftly oblivious."

"We _are _daftly oblivious."

He laughs with me this time, and it feels normal when I lean my forehead against his shoulder, laughs still coming from my body.

Jace presses a soft kiss into my hair. "We should probably get back to the waiting room," he muses. "If Alec is awake, Simon will probably be back to tell us. If not, then Izzy, Magnus, _and _Simon will all be back."

"Okay." I agree. Jace slides his fingers through mine. We walk back together to the waiting room.

Isabelle, Simon, and Magnus are not back, but I notice that Max has fallen asleep in Robert's lap, and Maryse has removed her face from her hands. She looks absolutely miserable.

This family has grown on me very much since the project started. Every bone in my body itches for Alec to wake up, so we can know if he is okay. I _need _him to be okay.

Jace takes a seat in a waiting room chair and I take a seat next to him. He removes his hand from mine to put his arm around my shoulders.

"I really hate waiting." he admits to me in an undertone.

"So do I." I lean my head on his shoulder, and he leans his cheek against my hair. "But good things come to those who wait."

"Are you literally going all old-quote on me?"

I laugh. "Maybe I am."

Jace laughs and I'll admit that it sounds nice to hear it. The large amount of stress inside the waiting room has been gone since we found out that Alec was all right.

"Oh!" I sit up suddenly. Jace's golden eyebrows furrow at me. "Jonathan is visiting."

"When?"

"Sometime soon." I realise that Jonathan never told me a set date. "I called him and told him about Alec and he wants to see him. Mary's coming, too. So I expect Dad will invite us over for dinner soon."

"Sounds good to me." Jace shrugs, and then he grins. "As long as I get to introduce myself as your boyfriend."

"Is that what you are?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Is that what you want me to be?"

_Do _I want him to be my boyfriend? Before I even answer, I blush darkly and look away. "Yes, it is."

Jace grins at me, and I grin back.

"I'm guessing Alec's not awake, then?" says Robert. Startled, I look up to see Isabelle back in the waiting room with Simon and Magnus.

"Alec's awake." Isabelle disagrees. Her eyes find mine. "And he's asking for you."

* * *

**You guys must really hate me with all these cliffhangers...**


	23. twenty three

**Author's Note: Happy Fourth of July to all you Yanks out there!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Even Jace stays behind.

I'm the only one walking to Alec's hospital room, and my heart begins to pound. What will he say? Will he be mad at me? Will he be happy? Will he scream or cry? I've never been in a situation like this, and with every step I take, more of me _aches _to turn the other direction and sprint out of the hospital.

His room—number 107—is at the end of the hallway, just like the nurse had said. The door is slightly ajar, and before I step inside I can catch a glimpse of a hospital room and hear the heart monitor and its steady beating.

I take a deep breath and push open the door.

Alec is in his hospital bed, an IV hooked up to his hand. There are large bags under his eyes, and his cheeks are faintly tear-stained—had he been crying recently? Or was that from before? His normally sparkling blue eyes are dull.

"Hi, Alec."

His eyes zip to mine the moment I finish saying his name. I try to read his eyes, see what he wants to say, but it doesn't work. He's a closed door. I should have assumed that.

But still, Alec says nothing. He just stares at me.

"I-I understand if you're upset with me." I start again, biting down on my lip. "And I'm sorry, but—"

Then he grins.

It's a very good-natured grin, and also very amused. A second later I realise not only is he smiling, but he's _laughing_, too.

"Clary," says Alec through his laughter, "sit down, would you? You look like you're about to pass out."

I sink into the chair next to his bed slowly.

"I'm not mad at you." Alec informs me, still laughing softly. "I don't think I was ever mad at you, in fact."

The weight of my nerves rushes out of me. I blink. "You weren't?"

"No," he promises. "I acted impulsively and I did something that I would have regretted. Well..." Alec cocks his head to the side. "I couldn't have regretted it, because I would be dead, but you get the idea."

"I do." I agree.

"I didn't realise the severity of what I had tried to do until my sister came in here." Alec admits. "I had been awake, but pretending to be asleep, because I didn't want to see her expression. But just because I couldn't see didn't mean that I couldn't hear. And she was a mess."

I lean back in the hospital chair, watching as Alec uses his hands to speak. Is it a nervous habit?

"So I opened my eyes." Alec smiles lightly. "That was so much worse. Isabelle was screaming at me—saying how I could do such a thing, how I could even fathom wanting to leave this world, blah, blah, blah. It kind of put me into perspective—I wouldn't have wanted Jace, or Isabelle, or Max to do what I attempted, and trying it myself was a bad example. And then Isabelle and Simon waited outside the hospital room, and I realised that Magnus was there."

He looks at his hands and takes a deep breath. "The minute Isabelle and Simon left, he sank into the hospital chair. I think he was crying, but he never took his hand off his face. I don't know how long he sat there, but eventually he reached up, squeezed my hand, and then left."

"You think he was disappointed in you." I realise. Alec's eyes flicker to mine.

"It's not easy, believe me." Alec shakes his head, laughing dryly. "I almost wish that I _had _died, so I wouldn't see everyone's reactions afterwards. People are going to be watching me like hawks, Clary. Making sure I won't do something stupid like that again."

"Nobody's going to watch you like a hawk." I promise him. I don't know if I can, but I promise him anyway.

"Don't lie to me." he whispers.

"I'm not." I reply. "Alec, if Maryse hadn't blown up at you like that, would you have attempted suicide?"

He flinches lightly at the word, but he answers, "No. No, I wouldn't have attempted...it."

"And you do have your own apartment, right?"

Alec nods.

"Then don't be around her anymore."

"She's my mother! How am I supposed to avoid her?"

"The same way she will do everything in her power to keep you happy." I catch his gaze. "Because she loves you, Alec, and what she just did is going to eat her alive for the rest of her life."

Alec swallows hard. "I'm sure everyone has already told you this, Clary, but I want to thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome." I say. "But don't try it again."

He half-smiles. "I'm not planning on it."

I smile at that. We sit there for a minute in silence, before I remember the conversation I had with my brother just before the nurse told us Alec was stable. "Jonathan's visiting soon, by the way."

Alec's eyes light up. "Really?"

"Really. I told about what happened and he wants to come home and see you."

He smiles widely this time, looking at his hands nervously. Almost like...how I acted when I had a crush on Jace and didn't want anyone to know.

"Uh, Alec?" I ask quietly. "Do you...do you have a crush on my brother?"

His eyes widen. "God, no."

"Oh." I blush, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Not any_more_, anyway." Alec winks at me.

I make a face. "Okay, okay, it's time for me to leave. Do you want someone else to come in or do you want to rest?"

"I don't want to be alone right now." Alec admits. "So if you'd please send someone else, I'd really appreciate that."

"Alright." I say. I pull open the door to the hospital room and then turn to look back at Alec. "I'm glad you're alive," I say.

The side of his mouth quirks up in a half-smile as he says, "I'm glad I'm alive, too."

I leave the hospital room laughing.

The laughter eventually fades by the time I reach the waiting room. Max is still asleep, but this time he's in Isabelle's arms. Simon is next to her. Maryse and Robert sit beside each other, shoulders touching. Jace sits in the same chair that he was in before I left, and Magnus is pacing.

As soon as Magnus sees me, he asks worriedly, "What did Alec say? Is he okay? Did he say anything about me? Is he mad at me?"

"Magnus," I say, "calm down."

Magnus takes a deep breath. "When I was in there, I...I kind of didn't say—"

"I know." I interrupt him. "Alec told me."

"Oh."

"I also think you should go in there." I continue. "Have some time alone with him. Say what you want to and _mean _it, Magnus."

"He isn't going in there again when I haven't even seen my son." Maryse declares, standing up from her hospital chair. Robert's expression is pained.

"He's not your son." Isabelle hisses at her.

Simon lifts Max from Isabelle's arms and places the small boy in his lap. It was good timing, too—because Isabelle stands up from her chair a minute later.

Magnus breathes, "Oh, shit."

"What part of you _thinks _Alec even wants to see you?" demands Isabelle, starting toward her mother. Jace rises from his seat warily, ready to grab his sister's arm.

Maryse blinks at her daughter.

"_You _caused this." Isabelle informs Maryse. "When Alec told you he was gay, and in a relationship with _another _gay—"

"Bisexual," mumbles Magnus under his breath. "But it doesn't matter."

"—guy, he was _opening _up to you." Isabelle continues, not hearing Magnus's interruption. "And what did you do in return? You screamed at him about how you didn't like what he was doing and how you were disappointed. So he went and tried to _overdose_, and if it weren't for Clary he would be dead right now!"

Don't bring me into this argument, Isabelle!

"So if any part of you thinks that Alec wants to see you right now, you squash it." Isabelle's tone drops, and she glares at her mother with everything she has. "Because Alec sure as hell doesn't want to see you. And I don't think he ever will."

"Go, go, go," I mumble to Magnus, pushing his back lightly. "Just go to Alec."

Magnus complies, all-but scrambling out of the waiting room.

Isabelle fumes as she sits down, watching her mother's every step with her eyes. Maryse stands, shocked, staring right back at her daughter.

Jace groans under his breath, falling back into his seat. "I am _so _done with this family."

Maybe a change in location would be less stressful, I decide. I wouldn't want to be in the Lightwood house for much longer, anyway. I feel like after what has happened, it would just be straight-up awkward.

"I'll be right back." I say to no one in particular, rushing into the other waiting room. As I do so, I pull out my phone, and dial a number I haven't dialled in a long time.

"Hello?" I ask, the minute the other person picks up. "It's Clary. I have to ask you something..."

* * *

**i bet y'all are literally marching to my house to kill me for all of these cliffhangers but it's in my legAL RIGHTS TO DO AS I PLEASE BECAUSE I AM A FREE AMERICAN**


	24. twenty four

**Author's Note: Sorry this is late. I've been out all morning and I had no time to write chapter twenty-four—but here it is, finally! And most of you guessed correctly in who Clary called :-)**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four**

We stay at the hospital until visiting hours are over—Jace being the last person to see Alec. Isabelle and Simon leave back to Simon's home, Magnus to his. Maryse and Robert take Jace, Max, and I back to the Lightwood home.

Max falls asleep a second time on the ride home, his head falling onto my shoulder. I smile at Jace over Max's head, and Jace smiles back. It's still surreal to believe that he kissed me. Or that he said he loves me. And part of me is a little troubled that I didn't say it back.

But I can't think about it now. When we reach the Lightwoods', I lift Max out of the car. We say nothing as we walk inside.

I set Max in his bed and join Jace in his bedroom.

"Hey." Jace says softly. He reaches for me and hugs me.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, hugging him back. I bite my tongue. Of _course _he's not okay. That was a stupid question.

"I can't even look at my bathroom, much less go in it." he mumbles in reply. "Why did Alec go in my bathroom? He could have chosen any of them."

"Only Alec knows the answer to that, Jace." I rest my chin on his shoulder. "But I would say something like out of all the places for you to look for him, you would look in your own room last."

Jace's silence gives me my answer.

"So you don't have to go into your bathroom." I reassure. "But you should get some sleep."

"I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Just try."

Jace exhales and pulls away. "Okay."

To my surprise, he slips into his bed. I had imagined he wanted to be alone on the floor, but as usual, Jace surprises me. I slip in beside him, not bothering to change.

I'm almost asleep when Jace whispers, "Thank you for my brother," to me.

But I'm too far gone to whisper back.

* * *

In the morning, Jace is gone when I wake up.

There isn't a note, like there usually is, but it's Saturday, so I assume he's on a jog or something.

I slip out of bed and quickly change into something more comfortable. There are imprints of my jeans on the sides of my legs from sleeping in them all night.

"Hey."

I look up. Jace is stepping inside his bedroom, giving me a soft smile.

"Sleep well?" I ask him.

Jace nods. "More or less. How about you?"

I shrug in reply, and he smiles again.

"So I called my dad last night." I say casually, sitting down on the corner of the bed. "And I asked him if you and I could stay at his house for the rest of the project."

Jace stares at me for a minute.

"I figured it would be awkward in the house for a while." I admit, wringing my hands. "Because of what happened."

"What did your dad say?"

"He said yes. So, if you want to go..."

Jace cuts me off. "Yes. I'd like to go. When do we leave?"

I grin sheepishly at him. "Today, actually."

He laughs. "Well, I better pack. And so should you."

"Good idea." I agree.

"Just one thing first." Jace tells me. He reaches out and grabs my waist, pulling me close and giving me a short kiss on my mouth. "Good morning."

"Good morning." I smile up at him, feeling my cheeks warm up.

Yeah, I won't get used to that any time soon.

* * *

"You'll still come and visit me, right?" Max asks, stepping inside of Jace's bedroom.

I blink at him. "How did you know we were leaving?"

"I heard Jace talking to Mom and Dad." he admits. "And I just want to make sure that I'll see you again."

He sounds scared to me. I exhale, zipping up my bag. "Of course I'll come and visit you, Max. I'll see you soon, anyway, if you're coming to see Jace and Isabelle graduate."

"Of course I will." Max nods. He bites his lip and then hugs me tightly. "See you later, Clary."

"See you later, Max." I reply, ruffling his hair. His smile is bright as he pulls away.

Jace knocks on the door and sticks his head inside. "Ready?" he asks me.

"Yup." I say. I lift up my bag.

Jace opens the door all the way. Max exits first and retreats to his room, and I follow Jace down the hallway into the garage.

"Jon's got a car at the house that you can drive occasionally." I inform Jace, putting my bag in the backseat of my car. Oh, how I missed my car.

"So I have to subject to _your _driving until the project is over?" Jace groans.

"Oh, you love my driving."

"Yeah, yeah."

I laugh, sliding into the driver's seat of my car. Jace slips into the passenger's side.

"You realise that you'll be meeting my dad as my boyfriend, right?" I ask him, backing out of the garage. "That's what we agreed on."

"I'm aware." Jace grins at me.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not really, no."

"Good." I smile. "Then you should know that if we break up, my dad will burn you alive."

His grin drops.

I can't help but laugh, pulling out onto the road. "_Jeez, _Jace, lighten up! I'm kidding."

But Jace still looks pale. "Uh, yeah, I knew that."

"You did _not_."

"I did too!" he protests. "I only pretended to look freaked for your amusement."

"Well," I say, playing along, "I am amused."

"Good. That was my intention."

I shake my head and snicker. "Actually, I don't know what my dad will do. I've never had a boyfriend before, so this is kind of new territory."

And why am I admitting this to him? Ugh. That's embarrassing.

But when we stop at a stoplight, and I look over at Jace, he's just watching me with a stupid half-smile on his face.

"What?" I frown at him.

"I'm your first boyfriend?"

"Uh...yeah. That's what I just said."

"So was I your first kiss?"

"Yes, Jace," I say, half-impatiently, turning right when the stoplight turns green. "And you'll probably be my other firsts, too."

And then I blush darkly, because I realise what I just said, and Jace laughs.

"You're laughing at me." I complain, glancing over at him.

"I am not!" Jace protests, but he laughs still.

"You are _so _not making this easy."

"I will never make things easy for you. Shouldn't you know this by now?"

I shake my head and roll my eyes and Jace laughs again as I drive closer to my house.

* * *

**If y'all can guess what book a few of these lines are from, I will be eternally grateful and love you forever. (I mean, I already **_**do**_**, but I'll love you even more so.)**

**Also, we're number five on the most reviews list in the Mortal Instruments archive! Ahhhh! -throws massive party-**


	25. twenty five

**Author's Note: Well, most of you guessed that the quotes were from Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian! Those books are literally my favourite series **_**ever.**_

**Also, I've got bunches of stuff to talk to you guys about at the bottom.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Although Jace says otherwise, he is totally nervous.

I park my car in the driveway of the house I haven't stepped foot in since before the project started. It's just as big as normal, but I know that inside the garage is now only _one _car instead of two.

Getting out of my car, I open the back door to grab my bag, and as does Jace. I glance at him. "Ready?"

"Of course I'm ready." Jace snorts, cocky as ever.

We enter through the front door, which my father has left unlocked. The house is the same as it was when I left—clean and familiar.

"Dad?" I call out. "You home?"

"Clary?" calls my father in reply. He sounds distant. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." I say.

My father enters the living room a second later. His white-blond hair is greying slightly at his hairline, and he looks a little older than I remembered. Had I just not been paying attention last time I saw my father for lunch?

"It's so good to see you again." Dad says, pulling me in for a hug. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright." I shrug lightly as I pull away. "I want to introduce you to someone."

Dad's eyes flicker to Jace. Jace gives a small wave.

"Jace, this is my father, Valentine." I gesture from my boyfriend to my father. "Dad, this is my...boyfriend, Jace."

Dad's eyes widen a bit when I call Jace my boyfriend, and Jace reaches for my free hand and squeezes it.

Wow. Okay. I have a boyfriend. That's actually very great. It kind of makes me want to squeal. Where's Isabelle when I need her?

"It's nice to meet you, Jace." Dad sticks his hand out for Jace to shake. "I've heard a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." Jace glances at me nervously.

"Most things he knows about you are from before the project." I inform him. "But some good things."

Dad laughs.

"Has Jon called you?" I turn back to my father.

"No." Dad frowns. "Should he?"

"He's visiting for a little bit." I figure that if Jonathan is coming home, he might as well stay here. I'm sure he won't protest if I'm here, too. "He'll need a place to stay."

"You should talk to him about it." Dad advises. "I was planning on ordering pizza for lunch. I can go do that and you can go call your brother."

"Do you order pizza every day for lunch?" Mom was _always _the chef in the house. Dad burnt anything he touched.

"No." Dad says defensively. "I occasionally order Chinese food, as well."

I roll my eyes. "C'mon, Jace. I'll show you around the house."

Jace follows me up the stairs, his hand still in mine. It's odd to hold someone's hand. "Your dad's nice." he comments casually as we walk through the hallway upstairs.

"Yeah." I agree. "Okay." I point to each room as I speak. "That's the bathroom. That's my..._er, _that was my parents' bedroom. That's the guest room, that's Jon's room. And this is my room."

I put my hand on the doorknob in front of me and twist it, stepping inside.

My room is the exact same as I had left it. Blue walls and drawings plastered on each wall. It's home.

"Did you draw these?" Jace asks me curiously, examining one of my drawings.

"Yeah." I admit, blushing lightly as I rub the back of my neck. "I drew all of them."

"They're beautiful."

"Thanks."

Jace smiles lightly at me.

"I'm actually going to do as my dad suggested." I inform him. "Give me five minutes to talk to Jon about staying here."

"All right." Jace agrees. He sets his bag down on the floor.

* * *

"Hello? Clary? Is that you?"

"Hi, Jon." I smile lightly. "Have you figured out when you're coming yet?"

"Mary and I are actually at the airport now." Jonathan answers. "Why?"

"Do you know where you're staying?"

"I figured I'd find a motel or something."

"Why don't you stay at home?" I bite my lip. "Jace and I are staying here, and Dad would love it. So would I. We have the room..."

Jonathan pauses. And then he answers, "Yes. Sure. Absolutely, Clary. Tell Dad we'll be home in a few hours."

"Do you need me to pick you up from the airport?"

"That would be appreciated. That way I don't have to pay a cab."

I laugh. "You'll still have to pay _me, _Jon."

Jonathan makes a noise. "You're my sister! I shouldn't have to pay you! You doing this for me is you paying me back when I drove you around for a year."

"Call me when your plane lands." I ignore him.

"What? We are still discussing this! I'm not paying you—"

"Bye, Jon." I say, grinning.

"Don't you _dare _hang up—"

But I do. And I'm laughing while I do it.

* * *

"I'm getting Jon and Mary from the airport later." I inform my father as we sit down to eat the delivered pizza. "They've agreed to stay here."

"Perfect." Dad's grin is more than satisfying.

"Do you want to come with?"

"Nah, that's fine. I'll fix up Jon's room for them. It's just as messy as it was when he last left." Dad gives me the look, and I laugh. I know Jonathan's style all too well—make a huge mess and then leave for college, allowing Mom or Dad to clean it up for him.

"Then do you want to come?" I look over at Jace.

It takes him a minute to reply, because he is shoving half a piece of pizza into his mouth. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. _Boys. _

"Sure," he finally answers, his voice muffled by the food. "I'd love to."

I return the half-grin he gives me, and then turn to my father. "Thanks for lunch, Dad. I know how hard it was to call and order the pizza."

Dad laughs. "I know. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I didn't know if I would survive," he says sarcastically.

Both Jace and I laugh with my father, and I'm more than glad that I called him. It hasn't even been a full day and I've had more fun than I did at the Lightwoods'. There's no drama here. It's just me, my father, my boyfriend, and soon my brother and his girlfriend. One big, happy family.

The only thing missing is my mother.

But she's happy, too, with Luke, at his apartment. And as long as she's happy, then so am I.

After lunch, Jace and I unpack in my room. "You seem happier here already." Jace observes as he puts his things in drawers that I've emptied for him.

"I feel happier here." I admit. "No offense."

"None taken," he says, laughing. "If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Before I can say anything else, Jace slips his arm around my waist and kisses me.

I kiss him back, leaning against my dresser. I can totally get used to this. But "We should keep unpacking." is what I mumble against his mouth.

Jace agrees, kissing my cheek as he reaches for his almost empty bag. "Do you have any idea when we have to pick Jon up from the airport?"

"He's going to call me when the plane lands." I nod, closing the drawer. "It won't be much longer, though, I don't think. The flight's just less than two hours."

He nods, setting his empty bag on the floor. "Do you know how long they'll be here for?"

I shake my head. "Long enough for Jon to visit Alec a couple of times and catch up with him, though."

"Well, I'm glad they're coming."

"So am I. I think Mary and Isabelle will get along very nicely."

"I think so, too," agrees Jace. "Although I vote we do not join them in the mall at any time."

I laugh out loud. "Agreed."

Jace grins at me for a second before my phone buzzes with a text message.

"And that would be my brother." I say, scanning the screen and reading the text. "Their airplane landed."

I turn toward Jace, who is pulling his sneakers back on. He smiles at me. "Let's go pick up your brother."

* * *

**I know there's a lack of excitement in this chapter, and most likely in the next, but don't forget...we've still got nearly two months of this project to go! And the babies are coming soon...**

**So! Some important things to talk to y'all about:**

**We are now in the #4 spot for most reviews! I'm freaking out, seriously.**

**The companion piece has chapters one through twenty pre-typed. So any day now, i'm going to start uploading!**

**Also, speaking of the companion piece, I've yet to decide a title! And I can't post the story unless I have a title! So if you have an idea for a title, please put that in your review.**


	26. twenty six

**Author's Note: Sooo sorry for the late update. At the moment, I've got a friend over, and we're doing a **_**How To Train Your Dragon **_**marathon. But I've just got the time to update this, so here you go.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Jonathan and Mary are outside when I pull up toward the pick-up lot for their airline. Jace is in the passenger seat beside me, and he steps out of the car to help my brother and my brother's girlfriend with their bags.

"Hey, Clary," says Jonathan the minute he gets in the car, flashing me a grin in the rearview mirror. "Long time no see."

"Agreed." I laugh, putting the car back in drive the minute Jace and Mary get inside of my car. "Ready to finally stay at home?"

"I suppose." Jonathan sighs. "But you know Dad will convince us both to see Mom."

"I know." I pull back onto the highway with a sigh. "How long do you bet we can put that off?"

"It depends on how insistent Dad is. And you'll have Luke bugging you in class every day, too."

"I thought you got over your thing with your mom," says Mary to us. She sounds troubled.

"We did." Jonathan speaks for me, but I have no trouble agreeing with what he's saying. Oddly enough, he's always been able to voice me better than I do. "But it'll still be awkward to see her."

I sigh. "Especially if we'll have to go to Luke's to meet her."

"Agreed." Jon sighs.

Jace glances at me.

"So, Mary," I say after a moment of somewhat-awkward silence. "My dad hasn't met you yet, right?"

"Right." Mary confirms.

"I've told him about Mary, though." Jonathan informs me. "You think he'll be glad to know one of his kids is finally dating?"

Oh, the irony. I look over at Jace and we both smirk.

"What?" Jonathan seems to sense something.

Mary makes a noise. "Wait. Clary—"

"I'm afraid I beat you by a day, big brother," I say cheerfully.

Jace grins.

Jonathan says, "Damn. I _knew _I should have brought my gun."

"_Jon!" _I hiss, nearly stopping the car in surprise. Jonathan sounds dead serious, and Jace looks like he's about to piss his pants in fear.

But Mary is the only one in a good mood. She laughs lightly.

"I was kidding, Clary," says my brother a moment later. "...Maybe."

"Oh, give it a rest, Jon." I glare at my brother through the mirror. "You're scaring Jace to death."

"No, he's not," protests Jace.

I roll my eyes.

This is going to be an interesting adventure.

* * *

The first night with Jon home is an interesting one.

Jace, Dad, and Jonathan spend their own time together in the kitchen. It's odd having three guys in the home—and it's even _odder_ that one of those three is my boyfriend.

So Mary and I spend the time together in my room, catching up. I'd forgotten how much I loved spending time with her.

"That's the girl I told you about in Michigan," I inform, showing her a photograph of Isabelle off my phone. "Jace's sister, Isabelle."

"And Alec's sister, too, right?" inquires Mary. I nod. "I never met Alec, either. But I'm glad that I'll get to."

"Yeah." I pull my hair back from my shoulders and tie it up in a ponytail. "You'll love him. Alec is one of the best people I've ever met."

"I bet everyone in his family is really grateful." Mary muses.

"They are." I half-smile. "And it's nice and all, but I kind of wish they didn't _want _to make it up to me. I love Alec as much as they do. He's practically family to me, too—and I would have saved him no matter what."

"And speaking of the Lightwood family..." Mary nudges my shoulder. "What happened with you and Jace?"

"You'll find this _totally _romantic." I say sarcastically. "Our first kiss was inside of a hospital."

Mary's nose wrinkles.

"I'm just glad it happened." I admit. It feels weird to talk about it. I blush as I continue to speak. "Jace had no idea that I'd saved Alec until we were at the hospital. He wanted to know the whole story, and so I told him. And after I did, he...he told me he loved me and then we kissed. That was that."

"Wait. Hold up." Mary blinks. "He told you he _loved _you?"

"Er...yeah?"

"Have you said it back?"

"Er...no."

Mary stares at me. "What do you mean, _no?!"_

"I haven't said it back yet!"

"Well, why not?" she demands.

"I don't know." I admit. "I just...I haven't said it back."

She pauses for a minute, and then her voice is softer as she asks, "_Do _you love him?"

"Yes." I answer immediately. "I had my doubts in the hospital when he first said it to me, but I do love him."

"So why haven't you said it back?"

"I'm not exactly sure."

Mary bites her lip. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out, Clary." she reassures me, and then she yawns. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Mary." I smile at her.

She smiles back. "'Night."

* * *

I fall asleep somewhere between when Mary leaves and Jace comes in. My bed is just as big as Jace's, but the mattress dips when he comes in, and I wake up.

"Hey." Jace whispers. "Did I wake you up?"

"No." I mumble. I pry my eyes open and see nothing but his silhouette in the dark. "How was your guy thing with my brother and dad?"

"'Guy thing?'" quotes Jace. He chuckles lightly. "It was cool. Nobody shot at me, so I'm good."

"Dang it." I mutter jokingly. "It's no fun if you don't get shot at."

Jace rolls his eyes. "You're so funny."

"It's a gift."

Jace settles next to me with a sigh. "Thank God tomorrow's Sunday. I am really not looking forward to going to school."

"Neither am I." I sigh. His arm slips around my waist. "But the sooner we get back to school, the sooner it's over."

"You're right." Jace agrees. "Have you applied anywhere yet?"

"Nope. What about you?"

"Nope." he exhales. "And it sucks. I don't know _where _to apply. But maybe if I sleep on it, I'll figure it out in the morning."

"All right." I say. Jace kisses my cheek in the dark.

"Goodnight." he says.

"Goodnight." I reply, turning on my side and closing my eyes.

But now I can't sleep. My conversation with Mary rings in my head.

Jace's breathing is heavier than when he came inside, but I figure it's worth a shot. "I love you." I say into the darkness, testing out the words on my tongue.

There's no reply.

I close my eyes again, and this time sleep comes quickly.

But at least I've voiced the fact that I'm in love with Jace Lightwood, right?

* * *

**So I've decided on a title for the companion—and it's going to be titled Project Carrot! What do y'all think about that?**

**(And thanks to someone who killed my buzz. We're technically number 13 in reviews if you count the 'M' rated fanfictions, but I don't count those just because I don't read them.)**


	27. twenty seven

**Author's Note: Why hello there. I'm back.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

The minute Jace and I step into psychology on Monday morning, I know something big is going to happen.

Everyone is already inside, sitting in their seats, but there's five minutes until class starts. Usually Jem and Will scramble in as the bell is ringing, but today they're both in their seats.

"What's going on?" I look at Isabelle with a frown.

"Beats me." Isabelle shrugs. "We just got here."

"That's odd." Jace muses, taking a seat next to me at his own desk. "Where's Graymark?"

He's right. As I look around the room, Luke isn't inside of the room. I frown. "No idea."

"Do you think we're starting with the baby thing today?" asks Simon curiously. "It might make sense."

"Maybe." I admit. "We'll just have to wait and see."

But when the bell rings, Luke still isn't in the classroom. And he isn't there five minutes after, either.

"Is he just not here today?" I frown.

"That wouldn't explain why every single student was inside the room five minutes _before _the bell rang." Jace points out.

"But then this doesn't make _sense," _complains Isabelle.

And she's completely right. Jace takes out his phone to play a game while we all wait.

"Good morning, class!"

Finally! It's nearly twenty minutes into class! Nearly everyone turns to watch as Luke enters the room, clapping his hands together and grinning.

"Luke, did you sleep in this morning or something?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

Luke's reply is a wolfish grin in my direction. "No. I was just speaking to my friend."

"Your friend from the foster home?"

"That's the one. Sorry—it took a little longer to drive here than I expected."

"When are we starting that part of the project?" Tessa inquires. "With the babies, I mean."

Luke's grin widens. "Today, actually. She was ready to start a couple weeks earlier than I expected. There's a school bus waiting downstairs for us."

"Well, that was unexpected." Jace mutters to me as the students all raise from their seats.

"Part of me thought it was going to happen today," I mutter back, letting him take my hand and lace his fingers through mine. "Are you excited?"

"I don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid." he admits.

"Neither do I." I agree. "But you know what? I think it'll be okay. Plus, Dad can help us if we need it. And I think Mary once mentioned she had a baby brother or sister. She can help, too."

"I've actually never imagined being a father." Jace tells me, his voice quiet. "I don't know if I could do it."

"I think you can." I tell him genuinely. "And besides. This isn't being a father. Not really, anyways. Think of it as...babysitting."

Jace groans. "I was never good at that either."

* * *

It takes ten minutes to drive from Alicante High to the foster home down the road.

"Do you know what I want to know?" I ask Luke, who sits in the seat in front of Jace and I. "How did the board approve of this?"

"This way, since psychology is mandatory, they can eliminate Dhild Development." Luke informs me. "I have no idea _how _they can eliminate it, but they can. And that provides less payment, since they'll be cutting off a class."

"So they only accepted so they could get off with firing a couple teachers?"

"Precisely."

"That sounds like a school board." I agree.

Luke is quiet for a moment, and then he says, "Your mother misses you."

"Luke—"

"Just hear me out, Clary, okay?" Luke interrupts me. "She asked me to tell you this and I'm keeping my promise."

I sigh. "Fine."

"They're finalising the divorce in a week or two." he says. "And your mom wants to see you before it ends."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. But that's just what she wants." Luke sighs. "I'll understand if you don't want to come to my place and see her, but...just think about it, okay? And tell Jonathan."

"You don't have to worry." I tell him. "My dad already got to us, and he's definitely not letting it go until we see her."

"Just figure out a good time for you and Jon and then let me know, okay?"

"Okay." I say reluctantly. "I will."

Luke gives me another smile as the bus pulls to a stop in front of the foster home.

"So how are we supposed to get the kids from here to our houses?" Jace asks Luke as we get off the bus.

"You'll come back here after school today and get him or her." Luke raises his voice to inform all of the students in our class. "Along with all of the supplies that will be here and all of the information."

He opens the foster home door.

I've never been inside of one. It's smaller than I would have imagined, though, and the minute we step inside, it's full of noise.

"Luke? Is that you?" calls a female voice. A young woman hurries into the hallway.

"Hi, Celine." Luke says with a smile. "Clary, you might know who this is. This is Celine Herondale—Stephen's wife."

The Herondales were also a family friend of my parents'. I'd only met them once, briefly, when I was a child.

"Oh." I say. "Hi, Celine."

"Hello, Clary." Celine smiles at me. "Anyways, right this way. A few of the babies are still napping."

She leads us into what must be the biggest room in the house. Fifteen cribs are placed all next to each other in the room, all with signs. The signs have nothing on them except for a blue or pink streak. "They're from oldest to youngest." Celine explains. "And none of them are named. We held back because of the project. The two on the left are newborns. The baby girl on the very right is nearly ten months. They all range in there somewhere."

Aline and Helen instantly look at the two newborns on the left. The couples disperse around the room.

Jace tugs on my hand. "Ready to look?"

"Yeah." I say, my eyes scanning the cribs.

My eyes rest on a crib right in the middle of the nineteen. There's a tiny, pale hand sticking out from the top of the crib, and the sign has a blue streak across it.

I cross the room in three steps.

The first thing I notice about the baby boy is that his eyes are a vibrant, shining green. His toothless mouth is in a wide smile when Jace and I approach, and the baby giggles.

"He's about five months old." Celine says from beside me. "He's the happiest baby I've ever seen in my life."

"How could someone abandon a child so young?" I mumble.

"Nobody knows." she says quietly.

The baby's hair is a dull blonde. For a minute, he looks like he could be Jace's son, or mine. Or both of ours.

"He's cute." Jace admits. "His cuteness level _might _even dull the annoyance I'll have while he's crying."

I half-smile. "Yeah."

"So you have to name him." Celine informs me. "If this is going to be your baby for the next couple months. And this name will be the name he goes by for his whole life."

"I'll pick his middle name if you pick his first." Jace mutters in my ear.

"Deal." I say. I look at the baby for a minute and then say, "Jason."

"Alexander." Jace says.

"Jason Alexander." I try the name out, and then smile. "That's perfect."

* * *

**I know it's shorter, but the next chapter will start of the child. And I'll try to update again soon.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you didn't review saying 'update more often', because I can't sit in front of a computer 24/7 and type. I've got things to do (such as online classes, driver's education, summer reading, and a packet for an AP class next year), and I can't push them off to the side to write this story. Especially since sometimes, I have writer's block. I rewrote and deleted this chapter at least three times before I was finally satisfied with what I had written and what was happening inside of this chapter.**

**That being said, I'm not sure when the next update will be. It will hopefully be tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. Project Carrot, however, will be updated as often as I can. You'll get a chapter tomorrow for sure, though. **

**Speaking of Project Carrot, if you haven't already checked it out, go do it! Chapter one is officially up! I would really appreciate it.**

**But **_**please **_**don't leave anything harsh on it if you don't like it. Someone reviewed and said they didn't like reading the same thing in someone else's point of view, and that really made me upset. If you don't like it, then don't read it. Don't **_**tell **_**me. Because I will get mad. And if your messaging isn't disabled, you **_**will **_**hear from me. **

**Whew. That was a lot to get off my shoulders, but I feel a lot better now. Thank you all so much.**


	28. twenty eight

**Author's Note: hello!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

"So you two actually have a child now?"

"He's not _our _child." I correct Alec, handing him the sandwich he requested. "He's just a foster baby that we have to take care of for a couple months as part of the project."

"So where is the little monster?"

"Jace is picking him up and bringing him here now. We have to make sure he's healthy here anyway."

"What'd you name him?" Alec inquires curiously.

I smile. "Jason Alexander."

His eyes widen.

"Jace picked his middle name."

"Really?"

"Really." I confirm.

Alec blushes from embarrassment, looking down at the sandwich in his hands. "That's really nice of him."

"He loves you." I point out. "He'd do anything for you."

"I know." he sighs.

"So when do you get out of here?"

Alec shrugs. "A few days, maybe," he answers. "Mom and Dad nearly blew up the building when the nurse told them I could go home today. So I'm just here until Mom and Dad find it acceptable for me to come home."

"And as soon as you come home, you'll hang out with Jon, right?"

"I would even hang out with him now if he'd get his butt in here." Alec mutters.

I laugh. "He said he'd drop by tomorrow, maybe."

"Maybe?"

"You know Jon's awful at actually doing stuff."

"True that." Alec laughs, setting the sandwich aside. "I'm glad you're visiting, by the way. Nobody really comes except for Magnus. Izzy and Simon came once yesterday, but that's it."

"Have your parents visited?" I ask quietly.

Alec shakes his head. "Mom doesn't. Dad drops in to say hi."

"So not often."

"No."

"How do you feel about that?"

He shrugs. "I'm okay with it. I haven't really forgiven Mom yet, and there's nothing to say to Dad, so..."

"Yeah." I sigh. "Parents make mistakes."

The door opens to Alec's hospital room and Jace steps inside, holding a carrier in his left hand.

"So there's my nephew?" Alec asks teasingly.

Jace rolls his eyes, closing the door behind him. "At least you still make jokes."

"Very funny," says Alec dryly. "Let me see the kid."

"I still think you're so lucky for not having to do this project." I comment as Jace lifts up the foster baby and hands him to Alec.

"Hey!" protests Jace. "If it weren't for this project, you and I would probably still hate each other."

"True." I agree. "But this project is not going to be easy now. If I know anything about babies, I know that they cry all night. So we'll have fun with that, won't we?"

Jace groans.

* * *

"He's gorgeous."

"I know." I smile at Dad, whose finger is in Jason's tiny grip. It's so odd to be acting like a parent. "Maybe you should adopt him when this project is over."

"I might." Dad laughs. "What did you name him?"

"Jason."

"It suits him," agrees my father. "And Jason Morgenstern sounds like a good name, don't you think?"

"Yeah." I lean against the counter.

Dad clears his throat. "But just so you know, you aren't allowed to make a baby until you're at least thirty-five."

I glare at him. "Dad!"

"An argument can be made for thirty-four."

"Dad." I feel myself blush. "You don't have to worry about any of that. Not now, anyway. Just don't embarrass me."

But my father grins. "Embarrassing you is my job, Clary. And it's what I do best."

"Well, keep it to a minimum around other people."

Dad looks back at Jason, whose eyelids were fluttering. "I wouldn't mind taking care of a kid." he muses. "Might make it less lonely around the house when Jon goes back to college in the fall and you start your first year in whichever university you get accepted to."

He's right. Even though he and Mom divorced, Mom has Luke. Dad doesn't have anyone in the house.

"We're home!" Jonathan calls.

"Did you finally go see Alec like you promised?" I call back.

"Uh...maybe!"

"If you haven't, then go now!"

"I will tomorrow."

I roll my eyes and share a look with Dad. He knows about Jon's procrastination as much as I do. We've endured it our entire lives.

"Who's this?" asks Mary curiously as she and my brother enter the kitchen. Her eyes are on Jason.

"It's part of the project." I say, reaching over to let Jason wrap his other tiny hand around my finger. "This is Jason."

"How did Luke manage that?" Jonathan raises an eyebrow.

"Because he's Luke." I answer with a shrug. "But we went to the foster home down the road from Alicante High. Luke said to think of it as babysitting for two months straight."

"Except babysitters get paid." Jonathan points out.

I laugh. "That's true."

"So where's Jace?"

"He's getting takeout." I answer. "Jason was crying when we decided on dinner, which is why I think Jace offered to get it so he could get away from the crying."

"I used to do that when you two were kids." Dad admits. "Your mother still doesn't know I did it for that reason to this date."

"Dad!" I laugh.

"What?" Dad grins innocently as Jason shakes his finger. "You two were loud babies. All you did was scream and sleep for the first year of your life. I had to get out _sometime!" _

But he's laughing.

It feels so weird being crowded around the counter with my brother and his girlfriend and a baby. A baby with green eyes and—as I squint to look—a tuft of blond hair. It was so odd how Jason could easily pass as Jace and I's own son.

What if this is my future? In four years, Jon and Mary may be married. I might be married in six. Or sooner—or later. Who knows? And maybe I might get married to Jace. Either this relationship will end or progress with a wedding. And maybe kids.

Do I want this? Thinking about my future at the age of eighteen isn't exactly something I would normally do.

Jason squeals from his carrier and gives us all a gummy smile.

The answer forms itself in my brain.

Yes. I do want this.

* * *

**Sorry this was a little short. But I hope you liked it all the same.**

**So I **_**did **_**end up posting a small drabble on Tumblr in Tuffnut's point of view about an event in How To Train Your Dragon 2. Would you all read it (if you've seen the movie) if I posted it on FanFiction? Let me know in your review! X**

**Also, I've been thinking about writing a oneshot or two in any fandom. What fandom would you want it to be in and what would you want it to be about? Add that too! Xx**


	29. twenty nine

**Author's Note: Sorry for updating later, guys. I had a lot of driving today and then I saw HTTYD2 in theatres **_**again. **_**But now I'm finally here and typing!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

After school on Tuesday, Dad all-but forces us to go to meet Mom.

"I can't." I protest, and then lie, "I have to take care of Jason! I can't bring him with!"

"On the contrary." Dad tells me, placing the sleeping baby into his carrier. "Your mother informed me that she wants to meet him, so you will bring him with."

I groan. "Dad—"

"She said Jace and Mary could come with, too, so it will be less awkward." Dad informs. "So take the baby, get in the car, and go."

"Dad."

"Clarissa."

Oh, great. He pulled out the big guns. Dad _never _uses my full name unless he's dead serious about something. It's been twelve years since he's said my full name.

I sigh. "Fine. Whatever."

Dad grins. "See you when you get home."

"Yeah, yeah." I look at Jace, who grabs Jason's carrier and smiles at me apologetically. I know immediately that even if I'd refused Dad, Jace would have made me go.

"The sooner the better." Jonathan reasons, holding Mary's hand. "I'll drive."

"I'll sit in the back with Clary and Jason." Mary offers. She smiles at me and I smile back.

* * *

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I answer Jon.

The car is parked in the parking lot of Panera. What our family's obsession with Panera is, I'll never know, but here we are. Jonathan gets out of the front and so does Jace, while Mary and I get out and then I lift Jason's carrier from the seat.

"Does it feel weird to act like a mother?" Mary asks me tentatively, looking at Jason's sleeping face.

"Extremely." I say. "Why?"

Mary hesitates.

"Wait." my eyes widen. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" she all-but shrieks under her voice. Mary's face is brick red. "_God, _Clary, no."

"Oh, good." I exhale. "Not that I wouldn't _love _a niece or nephew, but...in a few years."

"I was just wondering." Mary admits. "I...well, I can't actually carry a baby. I mean, I can for maybe the first trimester, but never full term."

"How do you know?" I frown.

"It runs in my family." she sighs.

"Then how..."

"My parents used a surrogate." Mary says quietly. "I have a couple siblings but they're both adopted. For some reason, my mom couldn't carry children, and the doctor says I can't either."

"But you and Jon are nowhere near that."

"But we might be someday." she wrings her hands together. "And using a surrogate mother is _always _very expensive. I don't know if we'll be able to afford it. I just...I'm nervous, Clary."

I look down at Jason. "Everything will work out, Mary. Just in a couple of years. You'll have to wait and see, but I promise it will work out."

"Hey." Jonathan calls from the doors of the restaurant. "Are you two coming or are you just going to stand there all day?"

"Coming." I call back, and then look at Mary. "Well, you're about to meet my mother. How does that make you feel?"

"Nervous." she admits. "Jon's told me about her, but...what if she doesn't like me?"

"She likes everyone." I reassure her. "Now let's go."

Mary follows me inside of Panera.

My mother is sitting in a booth by herself, and she looks lonely. Her wedding ring is no longer on her finger—but there's a tan line there, a temporary reminder until she tans it away.

Her green eyes—like mine and like Jon's—light up when she sees us. Jonathan and I are in the front, and Jace and Mary are right behind us.

"Hi, Mom." I say quietly.

"Hello, Clary," says Mom. She doesn't stand up, but she smiles. "Hi, Jon."

"Hey." Jonathan bites his lip.

A squeal informs me that Jason is now awake.

"Is that Jason?" asks Mom. When my eyebrows furrow in confusion—how did she know his name?—she quickly explains, "Luke told me. Can I see him?"

"Uh, sure." I say. I don't remember Jace taking Jason's carrier from me, but Jace hands it back to me and I set the carrier on the booth next to my mother.

Jason immediately seems to take a liking to her. He giggles like he does when Dad makes funny faces at him and waves his small hand in front of my mom.

"He's darling." Mom muses.

"Dad's thinking about adopting him when the project is over." I mention. "You know, because he's got the whole house to himself and no one to share it with."

I don't mean to sound bitter about it, but I do. And I don't regret it.

Mom looks away after I say it. "Your father was always good with you two when you were babies. I think that's a great idea."

"I'll pass on the message."

"So I'm starving." Jon cuts in. "Who wants to order dinner?"

* * *

"You look a little young to be a mother," observes a woman.

I'm standing and refilling my drink, and the woman walks over to me to inform me about Jason. Her eyes look at my left hand. "And you aren't married."

"He's not my son." I say hurriedly. I'm almost embarrassed and a little annoyed, but I brush it off. "I'm babysitting."

"Oh." her eyes widen and she blushes from embarrassment. "Pardon me, then. His eyes just looked the same as yours, and the hair colour matches the boy you were holding hands with."

"Yeah, he's not my son." I repeat. I bite my lip. "But I understand the mistake. It's all right."

"He's a cute baby." the woman muses. "Is he a foster child?"

I nod. "The foster home has an overload of young babies there."

She smiles. "I have been thinking about adopting. Thank you, and have a nice day."

"You too." I answer. The woman walks back to her seat.

Then I think of Mary. Would she and Jonathan consider adopting, if they were to get married? I look over at Mary, whose finger is locked between Jason's tiny fingers. Mary would make a wonderful mother, and I think she would do anything to be one.

I sit back down in the booth next to Jace, squeezing the top of his hand at his questioning glance. I know he noticed the woman speaking to me. "Later," I mutter to him.

"So how's school going?" Mom asks me. "Everything's well? Luke says you've got good grades."

"Yeah. School's fine." I answer.

"Have you applied to college anywhere?"

"Not yet. I've been busy with the project."

"I've been _trying _to pressure her to apply at Michigan so we can dorm together for a few years." Jonathan intervenes. "But she's refusing."

"Why?" Mom frowns.

"I wouldn't be able to get in." I say, wringing my hands. I wish Jon hadn't brought it up. "Jon's a genius. I'm not. They wouldn't accept me."

"You don't know that." Mom tells me. She puts her hand over mine hesitantly. "You've always been smart."

I pull my hand away. "Thanks, Mom."

I try to ignore the hurt flashing in her eyes. But she should know that I've never really been one for parental contact. Especially in public.

"So Mary." Mom says, looking over at Jonathan's girlfriend. "What are you studying at Michigan?"

While my mother, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend engage in a college-based conversation, Jace turns to me. "You don't seem very comfortable with your mother." he says in an undertone.

I shrug as Jason grabs my finger and tugs on it. "It's just weird being back with her. Divorce isn't a good thing in a family."

"I think my parents are considering it." he admits. "Well, Dad might be, anyway."

My eyes widen. "What?"

"Dad was appalled at what Mom said to Alec the day Alec tried to kill himself." Jace sighs. "So I think Dad wants a divorce. Mom definitely doesn't, though. At least, I don't think she does."

"I'm sorry." I say honestly.

"I've been wondering about it for a while, really." Jace shrugs, running the back of his finger along Jason's cheek subconsciously. "And if they do, I don't think it'll affect me. But if they do, I have to be there for Max."

"I'll be there too." I say immediately. "Speaking of Max, we should visit him soon. Take him to a movie or buy him some comics. D'you think he'd like to meet Jason?"

"Max loves babies." Jace nods. "I think it sounds like a plan. Maybe this weekend?"

"Good idea." I smile. "I miss your little brother."

"I miss him too." Jace agrees. "And I'm sure he'll be delighted to hang out with us for a while."

He kisses my cheek and smiles back at me.

Mom asks him a question that I don't pay attention to. Instead, I focus on Jason, smiling at the baby every time he gives a gummy grin. I look at Mary—who looks at Jason with sadness in her eyes.

Mary catches my gaze and immediately smiles.

But the sadness is still in her eyes.

* * *

**I hope the longer chapter makes up for my late update!**

**If you aren't already, you should be reading Project Carrot! Everything that has happened with Clary and Jace is inside of that story, but in Jace's POV! I guarantee you'll love it. Maybe go leave a review for me? I'd love to get to 100 reviews!**


	30. thirty

**Author's Note: Ergh. Um. Hi? **

* * *

**Chapter Thirty**

"He's so...squishy." Max says finally, wrinkling his nose. "Are babies supposed to be that squishy?"

"He's not squishy, kid," says Jace, ruffling his brother's hair with a laugh. "It's called baby fat. You still have a bit of that, you know."

Max shies out of Jace's grip with a half-glare. "I do _not."_

"Yes, you do."

The ten-year-old turns toward me stubbornly and asks, "Clary, do I still have baby fat?"

Oh, great. Now they're dragging me into this. "Uh, yeah, Max. You kind of do." I say. And then I punch Jace's arm to wipe the smug smile off his face.

Max makes a face as he pokes Jason's cheek again. "So how long do you have to take care of him?"

"Until the end of the project." Jace informs him.

"So about two months?"

"That's right." I realise. I hadn't even noticed that it was mid-April. "Two months."

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Jace asks Max with a frown.

Max shrugs. "I'm not sure. They disappear a lot now, actually."

"So they just leave you here alone?"

"No. Alec's here usually, now that he's out of the hospital. But he's with Magnus today, and they'll be back just after you two leave, probably."

I share a look with Jace. He's probably thinking what I am: Maryse and Robert are most likely getting a divorce. Or Alec wants them out. Whatever it is, it most likely isn't good.

"You know what's funny?" Max comments, looking up from Jason. "If you were to go out in public with Jason, people would probably think he's really yours. His eyes are the same colour as Clary's and his hair is the same colour as yours, Jace."

I remember the woman at Panera from a week ago. "Uh, yeah..." I say, flushing. It's a little embarrassing to be told that by my boyfriend's brother. Just a little bit. "I guess."

"Nah." Jace shakes his head. "If Jason was really Clary and I's son, he'd have her nose. Which is much cuter."

I blush again, rubbing the back of my neck and looking away. "Thanks. I think."

"He's really cute, though." Max informs me. "Despite all the squishiness."

Jace shakes his head and laughs. "I give up."

"Did Isabelle and Simon get a baby too?"

"Yeah." I answer. But I frown. "Though I haven't seen the baby either. I think they got a girl."

"I want to meet her." Max declares. He crosses his skinny arms over his chest. "She never visits anymore."

"I'm sure she's just busy, Max," I reassure him, but both Jace and I know the real reason: Isabelle wants nothing to do with her parents. At all.

"I don't think that's it." Max grumbles.

How can a child this young be so perceptive? Jace sighs, ruffling his brother's hair a second time. "I'll make sure Isabelle visits soon, Max, okay?" he informs his brother. "But Clary and I have to go. We've got to make dinner at her house tonight."

"All right." Max says unhappily, but he reluctantly gives both me and Jace a hug, and then tickles Jason's stomach lightly. "Come back soon?"

"Of course, Max." I smile at him.

Jace sighs for what seems like the umpteenth time as soon as we get outside. "Sometimes I worry about Max."

"Hey; out of everyone, he's always going to have you." I point out, squeezing Jace's hand reassuringly as I lock Jason's carrier into the backseat. "He'll be fine as long as he has someone."

"I hope so," says Jace quietly. He kisses my cheek before I slide into the back with Jason. "Thanks for that. I feel like you always know what to say."

"I'm just smart like that." I say, and Jace laughs in response as we back out of the Lightwood driveway.

* * *

For the first time since we've taken Jason from the foster home, he wakes us up and cries loudly in the middle of the night.

Jace curses. "Clary," he mumbles, his voice thick with sleep. "Can you—"

"On it." I sigh. I hadn't been getting a lot of sleep anyway. I stand up and reach the old pack and play from when I was a baby. "I'll be in the living room."

"'Kay." Jace yawns. He turns over on his side and resumes his soft snoring.

I lift Jason, who is still whining, from the pack and play and exit my bedroom. It's odd—now that I've dealt with a midnight cry, I finally feel like a mother. Or just an extreme babysitter.

But as I descend the stairs and sit on the couch with Jason, I find that I am not alone.

"Mary," I say quietly. "What are you doing up?"

Mary's arms are around her knees. She looks up at me and says, "Couldn't sleep."

And as she looks at Jason, I know exactly why.

"You know what I've been thinking?" I say gently.

"What?"

"Dad says he wants to adopt Jason when the project is over, but I think a baby is too much responsibility for him. I mean, sure, he's only in his late thirties, but being a single parent can be hard." I bite my lip as Jason whines again. "But maybe Dad would just be his foster parent for a couple of years."

Mary blinks. "Clary, I don't even know if Jon and I would get married, let alone adopt."

"Jonathan loves you." I inform her of something she knows already. "I have never seen him so happy with a girl in his entire life. You're his first _real _relationship, Mary. That's really important."

"I—I am?" asks Mary quietly. She frowns to herself.

I take the opportunity to fake a yawn. "Look—I'm really tired, and seeing as I have school tomorrow, would you mind taking care of Jason? When he's asleep you can just slip him back in my room."

"Oh. Uh—sure." Mary holds her hands out for the baby in my arms almost too-eagerly. She bites her lip.

"Thank you, Mary." I say honestly. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Clary," responds my brother's girlfriend.

I note how wide her smile is at Jason when I'm on the stairs.

* * *

Luke looks more than uncomfortable the minute class starts the next morning.

"So, uh," he says, biting his lip. "As you all know, there are more steps to a marriage than just getting married and having children."

"What else is there?" asks Tessa, looking as curious as the rest of us.

"Well, sometimes marriages...don't work out." Luke says slowly. "People get divorces for many reasons."

His eyes flit toward me.

"Like affairs." I voice the unspoken words, and watch as Luke visibly flinches, waiting for me to glare at him coldly or continue to speak.

But I do neither.

"Yes." Luke allows, looking away from me. "Or because a couple no longer loves each other."

"What does divorce have to do with this?" Kaelie inquires.

"For the following two weeks, you will go back to your houses. Today in class, we'll figure out a custody agreement for your babies." Luke taps a stack of papers on his desk.

Great. I get to be divorced. Just like my parents.

Luke hands the papers out shortly, looking at me a little uncomfortably as he passes by my desk. I look away. Hey, I may have gotten over the divorce, but it's still a little odd to have your teacher be your parents' best friend and also the man who had an affair with your mother and the reason why they're divorced.

"You okay?" Jace asks me, his voice low.

"Fine." I say, giving him a quick smile. "So, who gets Jason when?"

"Maybe weekends?" Jace offers. "You take him during the week?"

I eye him. "Sure. Give me the kid on all the school days."

Jace returns the look. "My brothers don't know how to take care of a baby—and neither of them would be willing to do it, for that matter—and I'm not going to my parents for help. You'll have your dad _and _Mary."

Ugh. He's got a point. "Fine." I mutter, marking it down on the sheet. "I think that's all we've got to put down."

"So as of right now, we're technically divorced."

"There's nothing technical about it. We're not even _really _married."

"Okay. Hypothetically, then."

I wonder what this will feel like. If Jace and I weren't a couple, it might have made us realise we wanted to be. But now that he and I _are _dating, it might just feel like a break more than anything.

"So are we supposed to act cross with each other, or...?" Jace inquires.

"No." I answer. "At least, I don't think so. I vote against it."

He grins. "So do I."

And then Jace kisses me.

* * *

**Ahh! Soooo sorry for the late update! I was busy yesterday, but I hope this made up for it!**

**(Go ahead and check out Project Carrot for me? I would _love _to reach 150 reviews!)**


	31. thirty one

**Author's Note: I'm **_**so **_**sorry, guys. I've been having lack of inspiration for this...but I think I'm back...**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty One**

After school, I drop Jace off at his own house and then drive back to mine. It feels weird to not be around him, but...I mean, I'll see him in school, right? And I can text him.

"How was school?" Dad asks me.

I drop my keys on the counter. "It was as awful as ever. Where's Jason?"

"Napping." he replies. His eyebrows furrow. "Where's Jace?"

"At his house."

"Did something happen?"

"We're at the divorce part of the project." I grumble, pulling the fridge open. "For two weeks. So he'll stay at his house for the next two weeks. He gets Jason on the weekends."

"How do you feel about that?" Dad asks me curiously, taking a seat at the counter. He frowns.

"I'm fine with it." I say with a shrug.

"You aren't uncomfortable with it?"

"No." Is there nothing to eat in this house? Ugh. I close the fridge and move to the pantry. "I mean, it was a little awkward to talk about it, sure. But I'm not uncomfortable with it. I'm still with Jace, and I don't think this will break us up."

Dad nods as I grab a bag of chips.

"So where are Jon and Mary?"

He digs into the bag as soon as I open it. "Visiting Alec—they'll be back in time for dinner, though."

"What _is _for dinner?"

"I was thinking we could just go out." Dad shrugs as he looks up at me. "Are you allowed to hang out with Jace?"

"In school only." I shake my head, sighing. "It sucks."

"Well, _I _think a little time away from your boyfriend will do you good," he muses. "Gives you time to actually get sleep and such."

I feel my face heating up. "_Dad!"_

"Shh." Dad chides me, a good-natured grin on his face. "You'll wake up Jason."

Oh, he is _so _dead.

* * *

It feels so weird without Jace.

After dinner, Dad announces that he's going straight to bed. I guess when you get older you get tired earlier. All the same, he says goodnight to Jon, Mary, Jason, and I and then enters his bedroom.

"How old is he?" Mary asks me as I put Jason on the floor in the living room.

"Celine said he's about five months." I answer, sitting next to her and Jonathan on the couch. "And he'll be about seven months when we give him back to the foster home—or Dad takes him in."

"He'll start crawling and teething soon." she realises. "You might have him for part of that."

"Oh, _great." _I groan out loud. "If there's one thing I've learned about babies, it's that teething is a lot of stress on them and their parents. And crawling is just destructive. I can't _wait."_

"Well, you won't have to." Jon says cheerfully. "Because Jason just did."

"_What?" _my head whips toward Jason, who is definitely feet away from where I set him down. And then I watch as his short, shaking arms push himself up and move forward.

"Holy shit. He's crawling."

"Yeah, Clary, that's what I just told you."

"Is he crawling right toward the fireplace?"

"...Yup."

Mary stands from the couch and grabs Jason around his tiny torso just as his fingers reach for the logs of wood inside the fireplace. He makes a whine of frustration as Mary sets him on her lap.

"Look. He's already stubborn." Mary teases me. "I know where he got _that."_

"Oh, shut it." I grumble. But I'm smiling. "I'll be right back—I should call Jace."

Jonathan raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you two technically divorced in the project like you mentioned earlier? Doesn't that mean no contact other than school?"

"If _you _had a baby five months old, and you were divorced, and your baby just crawled for the first time, you would call your wife and tell her, wouldn't you?" I say smugly, and Jonathan glares at me in reply.

"Thought so," I add, grinning at him as I stand up. "Just make sure Jason doesn't hurt himself or anything. I'll only be a couple minutes."

"Great. That should give him just enough time to burn the house down." Jon lifts the kid from his girlfriend's arms.

I roll my eyes as I step on the other side of the staircase, dialling Jace's phone number.

My boyfriend answers on the third ring. "Clary?" he sounds confused. "Is something wrong? What's up?"

"Nothing's _wrong." _Why would he automatically assume something was wrong?

"Oh." Jace pauses. "Graymark said we could only call each other in case of emergency. So I assumed something was wrong."

_Ah. _That was why. "Well...this kind of is an emergency."

"So something _is _wrong?"

"No!" I laugh. "This is a good emergency."

"Elaborate." Jace's tone is more than confused.

"Jason just crawled for the first time."

"What? That is _so _not fair! I want to see it!"

He sounds like a real dad. I laugh again. "He'll most likely be sleeping by the time you get here, or I'd invite you over. But you can come over tomorrow and hang out with him, if you want?"

"Isn't that against the project?"

"Luke won't know."

"Clary Morgenstern is breaking rules?" Jace mock-gasps, sounding astonished in a fake way. "My God. Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

"Very funny, Jace." I say dryly. "Okay, I have to go. I've left Jason in the hands of my brother for too long. I just thought you'd want to know."

"I did want to know." he says honestly. "Thanks, Clary. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay? Love you."

"Love you too." I answer. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Jace replies. And then he hangs up.

* * *

**UGH! I am such a terrible person I'm so sorry...I haven't updated for two days and this is a ridiculously short chapter...I feel awful...**

**But before you guys go on and complain about me spending more time on Project Carrot, it's because I have twenty chapters for that story pretyped. So all I have to do is login and update, and then I'm finished. I'm typing these chapters as I go along. And I really do apologise for the lack of update. I'm running low on ideas.**

**But seeing as this story is (yes, I'm sorry, but it is indeed) coming to a close, I was wondering what other things you'd like to see my write. Add that in your review for me? X ALSO: add what you'd like to see in Project Marriage! **


	32. thirty two

**Author's Note: Hi.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two**

How insane.

I mark off the date on my calendar—how is it already the end of April?—and then turn to face Jason, who I've been taking care of all week.

"Alright, kid," I say, grabbing the baby. "You're off to Jace's for the weekend. Do you remember Jace?"

Okay. Here I go, talking to a baby who can't answer me.

"I'll be back in an hour or so, Dad!" I call toward his bedroom.

"Okay!" my dad calls back. I grab my keys and leave the house.

* * *

"Can you believe it's the end of April?" Jace says to me the minute he opens the door.

"No." I admit, smiling at him as I step inside. "Hey."

"Hi." Jace smiles back, kissing my forehead. "How's Jason been?"

"Make sure your eyes are on him at all times." I warn Jace. "Now that he's crawling, he will get into anything he can reach himself."

"Oh, great."

"Just be grateful you only have him for two days instead of five in a row."

"Well, this is only for what, another week? And then we'll be back at your house."

"And then we've only got a month and a half until school—and the project—ends."

I hand Jason to my boyfriend and follow him to the library. "It's crazy," he agrees. "But did you get to send your application to Michigan yet?"

"I'm sending it this weekend." I answer. "And Jon and Mary are leaving on Sunday for finals."

"When will they be back?"

"Jon's coming home in late May. I'm not sure when Mary will visit again, though." I lean against the couch. "When are you planning on sending in applications?"

"I got a couple in this week." Jace says, surprising me. "One to Michigan, like we'd talked about, and then one for Indiana University."

"I bet you'll get in."

"We can only hope, right?"

I half-smile. "Right. But not right now. I actually have to go back home...Jon, Mary, Dad, and I are going to dinner."

"And here I was, hoping I could snag you for a few minutes longer." Jace sighs. "All right. Have fun with your family and tell them I said hi."

"I will." I promise. "I'll see you on Sunday."

Jace nods as I turn around and head toward the library doors.

"Clary?" he calls.

But before I can even fully face him, Jace has caught up to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing his mouth against mine.

"Forgot something," he mumbles.

"I can tell," I mumble back, wrapping an arm around his neck. How long has it been since I last kissed Jace? I can't even remember.

A loud crash breaks the kiss, and I look behind Jace to see Jason surrounded by books, giggling mischievously.

"I told you to keep an eye on him." I say, laughing.

Jace glares at me. "You aren't serious right now."

"I'll see you on Sunday." I promise, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah." Jace picks Jason up from the ground and flashes me a half-smile. "Love you too."

I laugh as I leave, because Jace lets out a surprised, "_Ow!"_

* * *

Sitting at the desk in my room and drawing is about the only thing keeping me from absolute boredom the next night.

My phone is dead, and I'm too lazy to get the charger, so I can't text anyone. Jon and Mary are out tonight, and Dad's at a friend's house watching whatever sport game is on tonight. So I'm stuck with my pens, pencils, paper, and my brain. Also known as random drawing until I really get an idea of how not to be bored anymore.

I sit and sketch random shapes and people—a small sketch of Jason, one of my brother and Mary, one of Jace, a weird diamond shape with what looks like ram's horns on top of it—as I lean back in my chair, blowing the strands of red hair out of my face.

The whole divorce project thing sucks. It's only been a week and I'm done with it. I can't hang out with Jace, because I'm apparently prohibited, and seeing as my phone's dead, I can't make any plans with anyone else.

What if Jace and I don't get into the same college? Of course, it's really stupid to think that there's a huge chance we will. And if we don't, we might be on opposite ends of the country. What would that mean for us? Would we break up?

I tie my hair back and grab my pencil again when the doorbell rings.

Immediately, I frown. I hadn't invited anyone over—did Dad forget his keys or something? Or maybe Jon did? That's odd. I peer out the window to catch a glimpse of the visitor's car.

And then I hurry downstairs and fling the door open.

"Isabelle!" I say with surprise. I grin. "How are you?"

"Long time no see, Clary." Isabelle agrees. "I'm great—spent all day chilling at home. What about you?"

"I'm all right." I say, stepping aside to let her in. "I dropped Jason off at your house earlier today. If I'd known you were home I would have said hi."

"Well, that's why I'm here now." Isabelle informs me. I hadn't realised she was holding a baby carrier until I looked down to make sure the front door was relocked again.

"You get the weekends?" I ask her in surprise.

Isabelle nods. "Rebecca was more than willing to help Simon out during the week, so that was our arrangement. Same with Mary for you, I assume."

"Actually, Mary, Dad, _and _Jon all offered to help." I say. "Dad's thinking about adopting Jason when he goes back to the foster home."

"That's wonderful." Isabelle smiles at me as she sets the carrier on the kitchen table.

"How old is your baby? I haven't gotten to see her yet."

Of course I'd known that Isabelle and Simon had chosen a girl. It's _Isabelle, _for crying out loud.

"She's only a few months old. And we named her Alexandra."

I stifle a laugh. "After Alec, I'm guessing?"

Isabelle's guilty look tells me all I need to know.

"I guess you and I had the same idea, then. Jason's middle name is Alexander."

The infant girl in Isabelle's arms yawns herself awake as Isabelle laughs. "I bet Alec's really feeling the love from us, isn't he?"

"I bet so. Did he leave the hospital yet?"

"He leaves tomorrow."

"Ah."

We both lapse into a somewhat silence (filled with Alexandra's cooing) before Isabelle says, "So when can we set up a triple date?"

I blink at her. "A _what now?"_

"A triple date." Isabelle explains slowly. "You and Jace, me and Simon, Jon and Mary."

"Oh." Duh. I should have known that. "Uh...never."

"Come _on, _Clary."

"No way."

"Don't make me make Jace make you."

"Uh...what?" could Isabelle be any more confusing? Because I really don't think so.

"At least promise to go on a double date with me and Simon." she all-but begs, pouting slightly.

I stare evenly at her. "I will make no such promises."

"You are no fun."

"Jace and I haven't even _been _on a date, Isabelle." I say, not even realising it was true until it came out of my mouth.

"You haven't?" she asks, audibly gasping.

"Not really." I lift one shoulder in a half-shrug. "Can I hold her?"

"Yeah." Isabelle hands me Alexandra and then she asks, "You _haven't!?"_

"No, Isabelle." I answer again, shifting the baby in my arms. She looks only about three months old. "I mean, our first kiss was inside a hospital room and he told me he loved me, and I said it back recently. Plus, with school and this project and all of its plot twists, we haven't really had time."

"Well, I'll _make sure _you two have time." Isabelle says stubbornly.

"You don't have to."

"Oh, I know. I just want to."

Brilliant.

* * *

**whaT IS THIS IS THIS ACTUALLY AN UPDATE WOW**

**I'm so sorry for the delay. I literally could not think of **_**a single thing **_**to put in this chapter, but I hope the longer chapter kind of made up for it.**

**(Side note: any Legend of Korra or Once Upon a Time fans out there? Did y'all notice the little things in there? Hint: for LoK, one of Clary's lines to Isabelle is from Jinora; and a certain baby's name is the same as Ella and Thomas's in OUAT...)**

**I might whip up another one shot soon! What do y'all think? Would you be okay with that? **

**If you'd like something to read whilst waiting for the next chapter, go check out my other stories! Project Carrot is updated daily!**


	33. thirty three

**Author's Note: So it's been a long time...hi.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Three**

"How was the weekend with Jason?" I ask, pulling the door open for my boyfriend.

"Eventful." Jace lets out a breath, setting down the energetic crawling baby as soon as he steps inside my house. "You were right about keeping an eye on him at all times, though. That got me into a bit of trouble at least five times."

I whack his shoulder. "You never listen."

"It's a gift." he replies, grinning at me.

"So did you hear from Isabelle?" I comment, shutting the door behind him. "About us?"

"Oh, yeah. Us going on a date? I heard about that. Too much." Jace laughs, kissing my cheek. "But I was thinking she was right. Not now, of course, we've got no time, but...sometime in the near future. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Why, Jace Lightwood," I say, fake gasping, putting my hands on my hips, "are you asking me out on a _date?"_

"I think I am." Jace says in the same tone as me, and we both laugh together. "Anyways, I wish I could stay, but I've got homework to do."

"You're such a procrastinator." I muse.

"That's me." Jace grins, slipping an arm around my waist and tugging me to him. He kisses me gently. "See you tomorrow at school."

"See you." I say once I get my breath back.

He's gone by the time I say it.

* * *

"It's time for us to get back to Michigan." Jonathan says over dinner that night. "Just to pack up stuff for the summer."

"You'll be back for your sister's graduation, right?" Dad stares at my brother expectantly.

Jonathan rolls his eyes. "Of _course_, Dad. I don't want to miss my baby sister's graduation."

"I'm not your _baby _sister." I growl.

"She's right, you know." Mary says with a smile, and then adds, "Technically, she's got a baby of her own."

"She'll _always _be my baby sister." Jonathan states.

I kick him under the table.

"My baby sister, just with a harder kick." he corrects.

"Speaking of Jason, is he asleep already?" Dad turns to me, frowning. "Your mother wanted a couple pictures of him."

"Jace wore him out this weekend." I groan. "Jace is going to be that type of parent that doesn't give his kid a bedtime."

"Well, you'll be the type of parent who will make sure your child has a bedtime." Jonathan informs me. "So that levels out."

"My daughter is _not _getting married to Jace," grumbles my dad. "Not until she's thirty, anyway."

I glare at him.

"Technically, she's married to him already." Jonathan points out with an almost evil grin.

"I hate technicalities." Dad muses.

"I happen to love them." I say.

Dad glares at me. "Is it the will of a teenage girl to defy everything her father says?"

"No." Jonathan answers for me, and then he grins. "It's the will of children to defy everything their parents say. Especially in their college years."

My father groans out loud. "Oh, great."

* * *

I miss the next day of school to see Jonathan and Mary off at the airport. I hate to see them go, but I'll know that they'll be back, and that means a lot to me—especially that they'll see me graduate.

It's about lunchtime when my phone rings, displaying Jace's name as the caller ID. "Hello?" I answer the phone as I leave the airport.

"Clary!" says Jace, sounding somewhat relieved. "You weren't in psychology this morning. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I say, laughing lightly. "I had to drive Jon and Mary to the hospital and took the day off, that's all. Dad's watching Jason in the meantime, and when I get back I'm just going to stay at home for the rest of the day. I've got unfinished homework."

"So you're staying home to do homework that you didn't finish?"

"Pretty much."

Jace laughs. "Shame on you, Clary Morgenstern."

"Oh, _fine." _I say, laughing. "I'll visit Alec or something if it makes me less of an awful student."

"He's babysitting Alexandra for Izzy." Jace informs me. "I'm sure he'd love to see Jason again."

"I'll call him and ask, then." I pull out onto the highway. "But _you, _Jace Lightwood, are a hypocrite."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because you call me a bad student for not doing my homework whilst you _use your phone in class."_

"It's lunchtime, babe. Give me a break. And I was worried about you!" Jace adds. "That should give me some major boyfriend points!"

"You get three." I say. "Maximum."

"Three?" Jace complains.

"I've got to go." I laugh. "And so do you. Get back to lunch, dummy, before you get a detention."

"Okay, okay." he sighs. "I'll talk to you later?"

"We're still technically in a divorce, you know." I inform him. "So we're not supposed to be talking."

"Screw that." Jace grumbles. "I love you, Clary."

I feel warm inside. "I love you too. Talk to you later."

"All right. Bye."

"Bye." I answer. And then I hang up.

* * *

"So how's Magnus doing?" I ask Alec, setting Jason on the floor next to Isabelle and Simon's baby, Alexandra.

"He's all right." Alec muses. "He came over yesterday for a bit. Mom actually _smiled _at him; can you believe that?"

"That's crazy." Maybe Maryse is changing. "How are you two? You and Maryse, I mean."

"We're fine." Alec rubs the back of his neck, sighing. "She still acts super fragile around me, and barely speaks to me, but I think we're moving back to where we were. Minus her being...weird and all."

"So she's okay with you being gay?"

"I think so." he admits. "Not quite sure. She doesn't say anything or make faces when Magnus hangs around anymore, though, so that definitely is an improvement."

"I'd say it's more than an improvement." I agree.

"So why aren't you at school today?" Alec shakes a toy in front of Alexandra, looking up at me. "You don't seem sick or anything."

"I dropped Jon and Mary off at the airport." I explain. "And I...have to finish homework I didn't get done over the weekend."

Alec laughs. "I've skipped to finish homework more times than I can count. But don't tell Izzy or Jace—then they'll think it's okay to do it."

"Only for a couple months longer, though." I point out. "Unless you did the same during college."

His grin gives me the answer.

"Two months, though." I lean back against the couch, sighing. "Wow. I can't believe how fast senior year has gone by."

"I can't believe you and Jace." Alec laughs. "You two hated each other in January. In February, even, possibly."

"It's crazy." I agree. "And I can't really believe it either. Six months ago, your brother was the most infuriating person to me on the planet and I wanted nothing to do with him. But now...I can't picture my life without him."

"You two are really in love, huh?"

"Yeah." I watch Jason crawl around on the floor and smile slightly. "We are."

"Jason's a cute kid." Alec comments next. "And he looks like you and Jace—blond hair and green eyes."

"My dad's thinking of adopting him." I say. "He's lonely in the house."

"What about a puppy?"

"I don't think my dad is a huge dog person. He prefers living things that _don't _poop everywhere."

Alec laughs. "Understandable."

I stay with Alec until Jace and Isabelle get home from school and by the time they do Jason is napping in my arms.

"Hey, Clary." Jace says, smiling at me.

"Hey." I smile at him. "That's my queue to leave, though."

He leans over and kisses me in reply, wrapping one arm around my waist.

"See you later," whispers Jace when we pull away.

"See you." I reply, breathless. Jace kisses my forehead and then disappears into his room, flashing me one last smile before he does so.

"Bye, Alec." I turn to the oldest Lightwood sibling. "It was nice to hang out with you."

Alec gives me a smile. "Same to you, Clary."

I leave the Lightwood home, still smiling. If there was any family that my future husband could have, I would want it to be the Lightwoods.

Then again...it might be. There are only two possibilities with Jace and I: either we get married and stay together, or we break up and end it there.

(But I prefer the former.)

* * *

**I am SO SO SO sorry for the absence! I had no idea what to put into a chapter but I've finally got one—and just in time, too, because Project Carrot is at its last pretyped chapter. I was supposed to update that today, but chapter 22 is not prewritten. I won't have time to write it tomorrow, either, so hopefully that will be up by Saturday, maybe.**

**As for this story (like I warned you last chapter), it is coming to a close! I hate to say it, but it's true. I have loved every minute of this journey so far with you guys—and I want to thank you for still being here even after I failed to update for a really long time.**


	34. thirty four

**Author's Note: I suppose you guys are waiting for an update...**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Four**

It's today.

I never thought I would see the day that our project (which has been so _creatively _titled 'Project Marriage') end, but today is the day before school ends.

Jace and I drive to the foster home just around the time school starts. The rest of our class will be there, as will Luke, and we'll give back the babies we've taken care of for the past couple months.

"You okay?" Jace asks softly. He's driving and I'm in the back seat, shaking a toy in front of Jason. The baby has been fussy ever since he woke up this morning, and part of me feels like he knows what's happening. He knows we're giving him back to the home today.

But Dad has promised to adopt him.

"Of course." I say, giving him a reassuring smile in the rearview mirror. Jason grips my finger and shakes it unhappily. "Are you?"

"Of course," responds Jace. He returns my smile with a crooked grin. "Just think. You were his foster mother, and now you'll be his sister."

"Yeah; that's a little weird to think about." I laugh. "But I'm glad. Dad will love him."

"He already does."

Jace pulls into the parking lot of the foster home and sighs as he unbuckles. I pull Jason out of his carseat but leave it in the car; all of Jason's baby stuff is going to Dad as soon as the adoption is final.

"Let's go." I say, propping Jason on my hip as I step out of the car. Jace takes my free hand and kisses my forehead.

I spot Isabelle and Simon immediately, and they wave at us when they spot us. Neither one of them is holding Alexandra—she must already be inside. As I look around, we're one of the last couples to arrive.

"Morning, Clary," says Luke gently, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"Hey." I reply. "So do I just go in there and put him back in his crib?"

"Not quite." Luke winks at me. "You'll go in there but you'll hand him to your father. He's already in there and ready to get Jason."

I hadn't been expecting my father to get the baby so soon, but warmth fills me the minute I realise it. Jace follows me inside, and sure enough, my father is standing near the front desk, speaking to the woman working there.

Dad's attention turns to us when Jason squeals, recognising my father instantly. "Hey, Clary," says my father, smiling at me as he takes Jason from my arms.

"So that's it." Jace exhales. "Wow."

"You'll still see him all the time." I nudge him. "He's gonna be my brother now. Just come over when you want."

"I'll admit it; I've grown fond of the kid." he admits, throwing his arm around my shoulders. "I might be over more often than you think."

"Fine with me." I say.

"See you at home, Clary," says Dad.

"See you." I smile widely at him and leave. Jason doesn't even make a noise as we do so.

It feels like the end of an era as Jace and I drive to school. This is the day where we're not 'married' anymore. Tomorrow's the day we graduate. And about a month and a half from tomorrow, Jace and I are going to Michigan.

We both got accepted—him a while ago, me more recently. Jace will rent an apartment with Jonathan and Sebastian (because Jon's friend has backed off, thankfully), and I'll rent an apartment with Mary. Despite already sleeping together in the same bed for the whole semester, both my dad _and _my brother are prohibiting it now.

"I can't believe how bizarre this is." Jace admits in a laugh, taking his seat next to me in psychology. "I mean...this time last year, we hated each other with a burning passion. In _December, _we hated each other. And now..."

"Quite the opposite." I say, and Jace agrees by kissing me.

When we both pull back for lack of air, Luke has already dismissed us to a free hour. Jace is tracing circles on my hand absent-mindedly when I say, "Jace, we _graduate _tomorrow."

"I know." Jace replies back, biting his lip. "And then in a month from then, we're off to Michigan."

"Month and a half." I correct.

Jace rolls his eyes, kissing my temple. "Month and a half, then. But still soon."

"And after that?" I look over at him. "After college? We're going to be adults, Jace. In the real world. How _scary _is that? We're just mere years away from being done with school."

"I know." he muses. "But I've got plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"You'll find out in due time, Carrot," says Jace, using my old nickname with a smile. "Due time."

"I'm not a patient person." I point out, crossing my arms over my chest.

His smile is infuriating. "I know."

* * *

"Hey, little sister." Jonathan says, ruffling my hair, rousing me from my sleep. I hadn't even realised that I'd fallen asleep on the couch. "Nice to see you again."

"What time is it?" I answer, yawning as I stand up.

"Just after midnight," he answers, giving me a hug that I happily return. "Mary's in the garage."

"I must have been tired." I muse. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"Maybe you were drugged."

"Funny, Jon."

Jonathan gives me a childish grin. "You should probably head to bed, Clary. Graduation's tomorrow—don't you have to get to school early?"

"Yeah." I groan. "Wonderful. Give Mary a hug for me, will you? I'll officially say hi to her tomorrow. I just don't want to lose this sluggish state before I can get to bed."

"Will do." Jonathan confirms. "Sweet dreams, little sister."

"Yeah, yeah." I answer, waving him off as I climb the stairs. As I reach my bedroom, I plug my phone in its charger.

A message pops up from an hour ago. It's from Jace. If I hadn't plugged in my phone, I wouldn't have seen it.

_Meet me in your backyard at 12:30._

Ugh. I just want to _sleep. _I text back: _Shh. Sleeping._

His response is almost immediate. _I'm already waiting. You'll like this surprise, I promise._

If I don't, I'm going to punch him in the face. But I tug myself out of bed and make my way to the backyard, dragging my feet.

A blanket is spread across the patio outside, which is covered by the deck. Jace sits on it, grinning widely at me. Beside him are pillows and two blankets.

I say, "No."

Jace pouts. "Oh, come _on, _Clary! It'll be fun!"

"There are bugs out here."

"Suck it up, buttercup. I'll protect you."

"Don't lie." I grumble, walking over to him. "I remember you screaming like a little girl last week at a spider."

"It was a _huge _spider." Jace defends, wrapping his arms around me. "And I'm pretty sure it was poisonous."

"It was not." I roll my eyes.

He kisses me, and I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. Maybe a night under the stars won't be _too _bad...

"So you'll sleep out here?" he whispers.

"Fine." I whisper back, and he grins before kissing me again. "But what if it rains?"

"It's not supposed to rain, Clary." Jace informs me, tugging on my hand to sit next to him. "I checked the forecast."

"Forecasts can be incorrect."

"Well, it's a good thing we've got a solid deck above us, then, isn't it?" Jace retorts.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Does my dad know about this? Or my brother?"

"No, and yes. But Jon's okay with it and your dad won't be awake when we have to go to school."

"You don't have stuff," I point out.

"It's inside." Jace groans. "Clary, just _relax. _This is our last night as high schoolers. Just go with it, love, okay?"

"Love?" I repeat. "Isn't that a British term?"

"_Clary."_

"Okay, okay." I put my hands up in surrender. "Fine. No more party pooper Clary."

Jace kisses my cheek. "Good."

I don't know how long we lay there, talking and kissing and looking up at the stars that we can see. I don't know what time it is that I finally doze off in Jace's arms, and I'm not even sure what time it is when I wake up in the morning with his arm still around me, slung around my waist, breathing softly.

But I know one thing for certain, and that is that I am completely in love with Jace Lightwood.

But he knows that already.

* * *

**THERE ARE STILL TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT. Next chapter will be the graduation, and the following chapter will be the epilogue!**

**NOTE: Project Carrot. Do you guys still want that story or shall I delete it? Because it's completely up to you guys.**

**ALSO: I WILL BE STARTING ANOTHER STORY, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT YET! So in your review, give me an idea for another story! :D **


	35. thirty five

**Author's Note: Here we are—the last chapter of Project Marriage before the epilogue. The graduation of our favourite characters.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Five**

"This cap is squeezing my head." Jace complains. "It's killing brain cells."

"Oh, no," says Isabelle sarcastically. "Clary, we better take that cap off his head. He's only got five brain cells left."

Jace removes his graduation cap and smacks his sister's arm with it. "That is _so _not funny."

"It kind of is." I laugh, straightening my own cap on my head. "Seriously. Did you order the wrong size or something?"

"I did nothing of the sort!" Jace protests.

"So the correct answer is 'or something,'" says Isabelle.

I laugh again and move the tassel from one side of the cap to the other.

"This sucks." Jace grumbles. "I never even wanted to go to the ceremony anyway."

"Yes you did!" I roll my eyes, taking his graduation cap and placing it neatly on his head. "You were just telling me last week about how excited you were for this."

"Was _not."_

"Was too!"

"Okay, you kindergarteners." Isabelle teases. "Quit the bickering. We've got to get to the ceremony."

"I can't believe we're graduating." I say, following Isabelle to her car. "It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the halls for the first day of my freshman year."

"I know what you mean." Isabelle agrees.

"It feels like it was just yesterday when we hated each other." Jace adds, glancing over at me with a smile.

"Well, I don't know about you, but for me it _was _just yesterday." I say.

His smile drops into a scowl. "_So _not funny, Carrot."

"Of course it's funny, Golden Boy."

Isabelle laughs. "One thing I won't miss will be listening to you two bicker all the damn time."

"Rude." I grumble. Isabelle laughs a second time.

Jace slings his arm around me. "You know," he muses, "sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Graymark never put us together as partners for Project Marriage."

He's right. I lean against him as I think. If Luke had never been given permission for this project, Jace might still be the annoying Golden Boy in my psychology class. Or if Luke still went through with the project, but made someone else my partner. Would Jace and I still be bickering to our graduation day?

"I would have found a way to set you two up." Isabelle muses lightheartedly, giving us her signature smile.

"And I would have found a way to kill you." Jace replies.

"Well, what about you, Izzy?" I elbow my boyfriend in the ribs slightly. "You and Simon, right? Would you have found your own way to each other?"

"You three are _still _on the mushy romance business?" Alec complains from the doorframe. "I walked by here twenty minutes ago to go pee in the bathroom and you were talking about it. The ceremony starts in two hours and you three have to be there now. Let's go."

"Alec Lightwood, the conversation ruiner." Isabelle mutters under her breath, following her older, dark-haired brother out of the room.

"You know you love it." Alec says over his shoulder.

Jace removes his arm from around me and instead takes my hand, threading his fingers through mine. "How can you stand my dysfunctional family?"

"Oh, they're not so bad." I muse, fixing the tassel on my graduation cap. "Compared to you, I mean."

"Ha-ha."

"I know. I'm _so _funny, right?"

Jace laughs and presses a kiss against my temple. "You keep telling yourself that, Clary, and eventually it may come true."

"Bitch," I mutter.

"Jerk." he replies.

"What did I say about the bickering?" Isabelle complains as we get into Alec's car.

Oh, yeah. This family is _totally _dysfunctional.

But I love it.

* * *

The gym is already packed by the time we arrive, but in our defence, Alec is a really slow driver.

I look for Simon immediately. Mrs. Lewis had insisted on getting him in his cap and gown all by herself, so he had told Isabelle that he'd meet us here. The best part was that the four of us—Isabelle, Jace, Simon, and I—were able to sit together, since our last names were so close to each other.

Simon is already sitting in his chair amongst the graduating student body, his black hair neatly combed underneath the black graduation cap. "How was getting ready at the Lightwoods'?"

"Loud." I reply, smiling slightly. The way we are seated is Simon, Isabelle, Jace, and then me, but I reach over and give my best friend a hug before I sit. "And immature."

"Now, now, Clary," chides Jace, a light smile on his mouth. "Self-deprecation is _not _nice, and I won't let you talk about yourself in that way."

"I will punch you." I threaten him.

Jace's smile drops. Good. He knows it's true.

Since we are supposed to be given the rules and regulations of the ceremony before it actually starts, our parents and families aren't allowed inside the gymnasium until half an hour before graduation starts. So Luke reads off a piece of paper, reminding us to be respectful and polite in front of each other and each other's families. He flashes a wink in my direction as he exits the stage to open the doors for our families.

"This is really it." Jace says in awe. I notice that his hand is a bit sweaty in mine. "We're really graduating."

"Yeah." I smile slightly, watching as Jonathan and Mary enter the gym, followed by my parents, who look happy with each other for the first time in a while. Dad is holding Jason in his arms. It's a sight to see. "We really are."

* * *

There are a lot of people in this graduating class with last names of A through L.

I mean,_ really. _It's probably been about an hour since we started the diplomas, and we've still got ten people before Simon goes up to get his. How many people are in this freaking class? No wonder our school is so _big. _

But finally—just _finally_—we get there. Luke says, "Simon Lewis," in a clear voice, and Isabelle's cheers (along with Mrs. Lewis and Rebecca's, of course) are the loudest I've ever heard someone cheer.

Simon looks like he's won the lottery as he receives his, and as he moves back to sit down Isabelle's name is called. Jace gives his sister a proud smile as she flaunts up to the front of the gym, receiving more than a few cat calls on her way there. Isabelle takes her diploma from our psychology teacher with a wide smile and heads back to her folding chair.

"Here we go," I whisper to Jace with a smile, squeezing his hand before letting it go as Luke calls his name. I hear Max yell out for his older brother as Jace heads toward Luke, accepting his diploma with his grin that I love so much.

"Clary Morgenstern." Luke calls my name. I didn't realise I was shaking until I stood up, passing my boyfriend, who manages to give me an encouraging smile and my hand a quick squeeze as he passes me.

"Congratulations, Clary." Luke tells me, handing me the rolled up paper. He smiles a bit. "It seems like _just _yesterday I was watching you walk for the first time."

"Don't go crying on me, Graymark," I warn him, smiling slightly. "If you cry, then I'll cry. And you don't want me crying."

Luke laughs, reaching out and giving me a hug. "I won't cry. Not in front of you, anyway."

I laugh too. "Thanks, Luke."

"Anything, kid."

I walk back to my own folding chair and all-but collapse, my hands still shaking. Jace reaches for my hand again and squeezes it, giving me a smile. "All good?"

"All good," I confirm, sitting back in my chair.

Everything, for once, is all good.

* * *

**AHHHHHHHHH. So sorry for the **_**lack of an update! **_**It's been forever! Things have been hectic with school and such, but I know that's no excuse.**

**But here's the chapter! I will try so hard to get the last chapter up, but I probably won't until I think of a new story, which I will promise to update frequently.**

**Also, I will admit that I've recently—thanks to Netflix—jumped on the bandwagon for a super cool show that started in the year 2005 and is currently going onto its 10****th**** season in mid-October. I put a reference to it in this chapter! (hint: it's the "bitch" "jerk" part!) If anyone wants to fangirl over it with me, DM me! I finished season 8 and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of season 9 on Netflix.**

**So until the next chapter, adios! **


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